


TOW New Beginnings

by Friendsfanfourever



Category: Family Ties (TV), Friends (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-13
Updated: 2019-04-03
Packaged: 2019-08-23 01:04:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 45,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16608893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Friendsfanfourever/pseuds/Friendsfanfourever
Summary: The story of our favorite group of "friends" in one epic saga from 1994 to the present day covering major events during this time. AU for sure but also canon relationships. Please rate and review appreciate all feedback





	1. Chapter 1

It had been a long day at the diner looking after ignorant and ungrateful slobs. She had enough of it, but it was what could pay the bills and she had just turned 25, she had little experience in other fields to get another job anyway. _Head_ _Waitress/shift lead manager_ is what she was, and it made her sad. Especially when her father had passed away as he always thought that she would grow up to be a fashion designer not a waitress. That was her goal and plan, but like most things in life plans change and besides she needed to save up for school first.

Her mom had turned to drinking after he had passed and mostly had stopped working mostly just doing weekends at a grocery store. She knew that she needed to step up and take this job to help the family out especially her two younger sisters. They were financially strapped for cash and fashion school was looking less and less likely anytime soon.   

She was just finishing up cleaning for the night and her ankles we are aching in pain, it had been a 10-hour shift that had turned into 12 as the closing crew was short staffed and she was only getting paid for 10. But that was life at a diner and with the recession going on any job was great. The housing market had crashed and after moving into a rougher area of the city they were already quickly draining through what little savings they had left from the sale of the house.  Just at that moment a younger man walked in the door and sat down.

 “Hi” he said weakly he sounded drained like her, so she took some pity for the man.

“Hi how can I help you today?” placing down a menu with some strain in her voice the day had taken it’s toll on her. Usually the diner would tell guests that they were closing soon but what was one more guest anyway.

“I’ll have a coffee double cream double sugar and a hamburger with lettuce pickles and ketchup please” he said clearly looking like he was done for the day as well.  

“Sure, I’ll just be a few minutes. Here let me take your menu for you.”

As she walked into the kitchen she noticed that no one else was there including the chefs. It had been happening more ever since she became head waitress. The more experienced staff were upset and took it out by disobeying and leaving early. She sighed and started making the burger on the grill. As the burger was done she threw the pickles and ketchup on and slammed the buns down on the burger in frustration. She grabbed the coffee and poured some in a cup causing it to splash. She stomped her foot in frustration but quickly got back into customer service mode smiling at the gentleman as she walked back out into the dinning room. She frowned a little as she saw the man checking his watch in frustration. 

“Here’s your plate hamburger with pickles, lettuce and ketchup and your coffee double cream double sugar. Sorry for the wait the kitchen was cleaning up for the night” she said cheerfully betraying the fact that she was the entire kitchen and she would have to clean up. 

“Its delicious pay compliments to the chef and no problem about that wait was just reading over some papers. Its way better then the stuff we have at the university cafeteria.” He said smiling as he bit into another bite of his hamburger

As she was cleaning she decided to make conversation with the man as he was the only one in the diner “University, what program are you majoring in?” students were always nice and polite, they were some of her favorite customers and this man was proving that statement tonight.

“Oh, I am actually a professor of paleontology at Columbia University.” This caused her mouth to drop in amazement

“Wow your so young how, how did you do it?” 

“Well during my final year which was only a couple of years ago I ended up doing an thesis paper about the history of a terakatal species called the Wronia. The school was very impressed with my GPA and paper that they gave me a recommendation which I then used to apply for a lecture position which is one that I got. Ended up teaching 3 courses which has been bumped up to 5 courses this semester. Hence the reason I need the coffee” he laughed finishing his mug

“Wow that’s so impressive, I wish I could say the same thing except only about fashion. Anyway, what’s your name?”

“Ross Geller do you remember me from Lincoln High School out on the island” he said extending his hand

“Nice to see you again Ross” It finally clicked in her head how and why she remembered his face, it had been bugging her since he walked in. “My names Rachel Green in case you have forgotten. I remember your sister Monica how’s she doing?” she added shaking his hand “Sorry Ross just have to do some cleaning I’ll take your plate and grab your bill for you”

“She is doing good thanks, I’ll be paying by card”

She brought back the diner’s copy of the bill after taking it out to Ross to pay and was shocked at the tip amount. $10 for a $10 bill, 100% tip. It had been the highlight of her day.

As Rachel put the card reader back she sighed at the mess in the kitchen and looked at the time 4:00pm and her shift was supposed to be done at 2pm. The kitchen would take an extra hour of cleaning, so she would not get out of there until 5pm. She started angrily doing the dishes taking her pent-up anger out on them. It was sort of theopoetic for her and one she could afford.  As she put her jacket on and hung up her apron grabbing her purse and the key she was surprised to still see Ross there reading the paper.

“Sorry sir, Ross I am going to have to ask you to leave, the diner closed 30 minutes ago. It was really nice meeting you though”

“Yeah sorry I’ll leave lost track of time can’t believe it’s 5 pm already, hey are you far from here I can take the subway back with you. Where are you heading?” he asked folding the newspaper up

“Thanks for the offer Ross but I am walking back it’s only 20 minutes to my mom’s apartment” she said with a tang an embarrassment. Most of her friends had been moved out of their parents place for years and living on their own with a life of their own. Like her one friend and former roommate Phoebe who had been by herself since she was 16. Phoebe was actually coming over tonight to watch TV and play games as their weekly tradition and it was one of the main things Rachel looked forward to during the week.

“I insist besides it’s getting dark and snowing, here let me grab your purse for you” he said trying to think of an excuse to talk to the friendly waitress. Besides he didn’t want to go home.

“Thanks again but I think I’ll be okay” she said as they walked outside, and she locked the door but dropped it with a piece of paper falling to the ground. She quickly got back up

“Have a goodnight Ross, once again it was nice to meet you” as she walked the other direction snow falling down across her face.

Ross picked up the piece of paper and smiled when he read what was on the paper, it was Rachel’s address and phone number. At least he didn’t have to go through the yellow pages trying to find her number. He remembered that he had to go see Ben tonight as Carol and Susan were going on a date.

It caused a sadness to wash over him as he had still not gotten over what Carol the lesbian had done to him just a few short months ago. But he was supportive of her and Susan and wanted all the best for them. Besides Chandler was coming over tonight and him. Ben and Chandler could watch the Rangers game tonight.

As Rachel got home from the diner she turned the apartment lock and was shocked at what she saw when she walked in. The time read 5:40pm Her two younger sisters Amy and Jill were screaming at each other with her mom no where to be found.

“Girls what’s the matter?” she asked with her heart rate elevated and signals of alarm going off in her head

“Mom didn’t come home, and Amy is not making dinner saying she is too good to do it and I am hungry!” Jill sobbed running over to Rachel in tears.

Amy stood in silence and stared into the ceiling looking like she wanted to scream at Rachel eventually the dam burst, and her feelings came pouring out.

“Where were you Rachel? We have been waiting for you all evening and you disappeared probably running off with another man again! Mom is probably at the bar drinking her sorrows away! It’s like we were invisible to you! I want dinner” she ended up whining and revealing her true reason for being angry at Rachel she was just as hungry as Jill.

The weight of it all caused Rachel to become distant and detached from the scene, she was emotionally and physically drained but put on a brave smile for her younger sisters. “Girls I am so sorry I was caught up at the diner again. I’ll make you some diner what would you like?” Rachel said hiding the fact that making diner and cleaning up dishes was the last thing, all Rachel wanted was some downtime/alone time.

As she put the Kraft dinner pasta onto her sisters plates it brought some joy as they squealed with delight after bickering the whole time Rachel was making it, she almost ended up throwing the pan at the wall in frustration but ended up holding it together.

As she was just about to sit down and eat her stomach rumbling there was knocking at the door. She begrudgelly got up and opened the door, to her surprise the landlord was there.

“Hi Rachel, is your mom Sandra here? I need to talk to her” he said with a twitch of anger in his voice

“Sorry Stan she’s out for the evening but I can take a message, lets take this out to the hall” she said sordidly closing the apartment door as she knew what this was going to be about.

“Look Rachel unless the monthly rent of $900 on this apartment is paid in full in cash by tonight at 9pm I have no choice but to evict you.” He said with a hint of glee coming into his voice clearly relishing the fact that he would finally be able to get rid of this ungrateful family who was always behind on rent.

“Look Stan just give me a moment to call my mom” she said frazzled as it was just another stressful thing happening in what had turned out to be a horrible day

She re-entered the apartment and quickly dialed up the bar her mom had frequented when they picked up she hurriedly said, “Hi it’s Rachel Green is my mom Sandra there?” the member of staff got Sandra on the line for her

“Hi Rachel, what’s up sweetie is everything alright?” Sandra said slurring her words a little as she had been drinking a little too much. It had been her comfort since her husband had passed away.

“Sort of, the girls are fed thanks to me but Stan the landlord is here and is saying that surprise the rent has not been paid! He wants the $1000 tonight or he is going to evict us” Rachel said trying to keep her voice down as to not let her sisters overhear and scare them.

“Look Rachel I don’t have the money right now, I have $5 in the bank” she said which due to her drunken state caused her to laugh “Look can I get you to pay this month?” she asked

It had been a similar story the past few months with her mom getting less and less hours at her work each month and having to rely on her daughter. Rachel started to well up due to the amount of stress that today had caused her.

“Look Mom once we get back on our feet I want you to go to rehab for alcohol, I love you mom and I don’t want anything to happen to you. I’ll cover rent this month. Get home safely, goodnight mom”

“Goodnight Rachel love you too” was what Rachel heard as she put the phone down her hands were shaking as she called the bank to inquire about her balance.

“Mrs. Green you have $850 in your account and your credit card is maxed out at $1000” at the mention of that she went into the washroom that was so small you would think it was a closet and quickly started heavy breathing to calm her down. She called the diner

“Hi Hugh, it’s Rachel Green, is there anymore shifts available tonight and if it’s possible to get paid in cash right away?”

“Rachel there is surprisingly is some shifts, I can give you 4 hours tonight and can pay in cash right away” Hugh may not have been the greatest boss but he sure was understanding

“Thanks, I really appreciate it you don’t know how much this means to me.” She said quickly doing the math in her head $7 x 4 was around $30 and with $20 in her wallet plus the $850 she would be able to survive another month.

As she walked out the door she let Stand know that she would drop off the money putting emphasis that it would be cash which seemed to appease he.

After another exhausting shift at the diner while getting yelled at by unhappy customers who had to wait to long and the chef who yelled at her for taking too long and dropping off the money at Stan’s townhouse. After that she made sure that her sisters were asleep before brushing her teeth. She winced at the note that was left on the front door from Phoebe telling her to call back. She felt guilty about ditching game and TV night but rent unfortunately came before friends.

She finally got the down time she needed. At 11pm on a Friday night she plopped herself down on her bed in her PJ’s. She started trembling and broke down in tears as she saw her bank account statement. $0 was all that was left with a $1000 credit card balance. As the exhaustion of the day finally broke her and she went to sleep. 10 minutes later the phone started ringing, she quickly got up and ran over to get it so not to wake up her sisters

“Hi Rachel, it’s Ross from the diner this afternoon. Me, my son Ben and my friend Chandler were going to go to the movies tonight and were wondering if you wanted to join us?” he asked in a charming voice. Maybe it sounded like that since it was polite after dealing with all the upset customers that night it certainly sounded charming.

“Look Ross I would love to, but I am just feeling tired, how did you even get my number?” all traits of emotion had drained from her voice and she sounded gruffy and lifeless. She was at least telling half the story preferring not to tell him that she was broke

“Yeah, no problem maybe another time, is everything okay you don’t sound too good?” dread and concern seeped out of his voice. He tried to turn the tables choosing to avoid the topic of how he got her number.

“Everything’s fine Ross just feeling a little down and drained. Have a goodnight” she said not caring or at least to tired to care how he got her number. She felt a tinge of joy though as it had been the first time she had been on the phone with a man in months.

“Goodnight Rachel” Ross said with a hint of disappointment. He knew that there was going to be another time for sure but was guessing that tonight would not be the night.  

**_ A couple of months later _ **

Winter had turned to spring and like most things in life it had gone by fast. Rachel had ended up working a small office job during the week and worked at the diner at nights which had helped her pay off the credit card and build up some savings again. Sure, it was only $500 but it was something. The reason for the newfound flexibility at the diner was there was a new manager named Gunther who worked there, and Rachel swore he had a crush on her.  She had become the sole rent payer as her mom had gone to therapy/rehab offered for free at the local church and it was working although she would have relapses here and then. She finally felt in some control of her life again.

Her and Ross had started dating and she was getting to know his family well. They had been on a number of dates, but it was hard to fit them all in to their busy schedules. Tonight, was date night and she was looking forward to it.

She smiled at herself in the mirror as it was a source of pride wearing her grandmothers blue dress. It always brought back the happy memories that she had. She was also wearing a dove brooch that her dad gave her for her high school graduation. They were going to an Italian restaurant for dinner.

Ross came to the door and knocked. As Rachel answered he was stunned gripping his son Ben’s hand a little harder causing him to tease

“Dad are you nervous?”

“Rachel you look stunning” he said as his face betrayed him looking like it was still caught in the headlights. He snapped out of it “I brought Ben with us tonight because Susan and Carol went on some last-minute vacation to Mexico and everyone was busy to watch him”

“That’s okay Ross, it’s nice to see you again Ben how are things going at school?”

Ben was a little smitten by Rachel as well so when she bent down to talk to him he blushed a little “There’re going good I am really liking history class”

“That’s good, hey I am starving let’s go get some dinner” she said as she grabbed their hands and lead them down to the waiting taxi. When she was with Ross it would be the happiest times of the month and this would be no exception.

As they got to the Italian restaurant they enjoyed some garden salad and bread before their food came which was big plates of Spaghetti and Meatballs. Chandler’s friend/roommate Joey had recommended this establishment.

“So, Ross how have things been?” she asked staring into his eyes genuinely anticipating the answer as she twirled her food around.

“Things have been going good, Classes are almost done for the year which means lots of marking about prehistoric animals, exciting stuff! I got a surprise for you! Me, you and Ben are going to the ranger’s game tonight! Plus I am paying for this meal, who has two thumbs and has a plan? This guy!”

Rachel’s face lit up in excitement. She had never been to a ranger’s hockey game, but she heard exciting things about them. They finished the rest of their meal and headed off to the game.

As they sat down in their seats the game had started and Rachel was in awe at how quickly the players would move up and down the ice. She was a little unsure about the rules though.

“Why did they stop play there?” she said confused

“That’s called an offside it means that the offensive player goes over the blue line before the puck does” Ben interjected before Ross

“Ben your so smart, must be the genes from your father” she said causing Ross to laugh and Rachel to blush. His laugh was so infectious and made her happy.

“Oh there fighting now! FIGHT! FIGHT! Ross and Ben started yelling as they stood up hollering popcorn was spilling everywhere. Rachel decided to get in on the fun and got up and was yelling along with all the other 18,000 fans.

 

As the night worn on Rachel had been the happiest she had been in months. Ross was so kind and understanding. He had the soul of an angel. He would show compassion and understanding when talking about things she did not know unlike prior boyfriend Bruce who would talk down to her. She knew that Ross was the **_one_** …

 

**Authors Note: End of Chapter 1, hope you enjoyed it and rate and review to provide feed back as it is always welcomed!**


	2. Chapter 2

After the final buzzard of the hockey game Ross had walked Rachel back to apartment as he kissed her cheek goodnight an energy coursed through her body that she had not felt in some time. The last time that a man had made her feel this way, this special was Bobby Lead in high school.  

As she waved Ross goodbye and shut the door to the apartment door quietly as not to disturb anyone she grabbed the phone and ran into the washroom to call Phoebe to tell her all about her first date with Ross.

“Phoebe how’s it going?  You are not going to believe what I did tonight, I went on another DATE with Ross! We went to the hockey game, I don’t when the last time I went on more then two dates with a guy it had to be in high school” she said with all the giddiness of a 16-year-old teenage girl experiencing her first love

“I can’t believe you are dating Ross Geller? Who would have thought that back in high school as well, I remember him having a huge crush on you back then too, hockey game eh?” she said laughing with her adorable snort when she was extra happy, and she had picked up on some Canadian euphemisms from her boyfriend. “He always seemed like such a dork no offense. Also, whenever I would go to Monica’s for thanksgiving after high school he was always really reserved and into his little family. Always seemed very reclusive. Anyway, I am happy for you.”

“I don’t get that vibe from him at all he is really sweet, kind and has a good sense of humor. I think maybe in the past he was upset about what Carol and Susan had done to their perfect life. He seems much more happier I think he has moved on from all that” she said trying to reassure Phoebe.

“Okay speaking of thanksgiving do you want to come over to Monica’s for a thanksgiving feast? I am sure it would be a great surprise to see Monica again” Phoebe said raising her voice with each word as the excitement of the idea had caught even her by surprise.

“I am not sure Phoebe I have to see what I can do with my sisters, my mom said that I was going to look after them for the holidays while she went up to see her new boyfriend at his chalet in Vermont or something” she said waving in hands in the air in frustration. Rachel and her mom had grown distant over the last few months while her mom was never really home which was causing Rachel to take over the motherly duties of her high-school aged sisters.

“Oh, I have a good idea you can bring them!” Phoebe said “I have always wanted to play for the kids. I think Ross is bringing Ben as well, so they can play together”

“Yeah, I am not sure,” she said putting some thought into it about how it would be nice to have a good home cooked turkey and friendly atmosphere. “You know what why not, Sounds like a plan”

“Okay awesome I tell Monica she is going to be so excited!” Phoebe getting distracted ended up accidentally hanging up the phone on Rachel who decided it was time for bed.

Monica Geller, she thought. It had been years since she had seen Monica even though she had just recently started dating her brother Ross. It had been high school graduation was the last time she remembered because her parents decided to give Rachel a 2-month European experience for her graduation gift. It would be nice to see her again after all those years.

The next couple of weeks before thanksgiving had gone by in a blur as Rachel and Ross were barely able to see each other as they had both been working and with Rachel making sure her sisters were able to get to their various commitments. Before they knew it, Thanksgiving was here.

As she was running around the apartment in her blue dress in her heels getting her sisters all corralled making sure that they were ready for the big dinner and were dressed up. As she was putting her earrings in she heard a knock at the door. She scrambled to make it before the next round of knocks as she knew it upset her neighbour Mrs. Jones who was the kindest caring pensioner who would help look after Rachel’s sisters. Rachel swung the door open to see Ross and Ben all dressed up

“Don’t you guys look amazing, to be honest I think that Ben looks more handsome” she said reaching down and ruffling his hair

“Hey Rachel, I think your fooling yourself, I think you are the most beautiful out of all of us” Ross said leaning in and giving Rachel a peck on the cheek. Looking at his watch he noticed the time “I think we best get going”

“Amy and Jill lets get going!” Rachel hollered out as the girls came skipping out she held their hands as they made their way down to the cab

As they made their way to the apartment she realized that this would be the first time that she would be seeing Ross’s parents as his girlfriend and it brought out some butterflies in her stomach.

“Ross my makeups not smudging is it?” she asked Ross nervously

“No Rachel it is fine, don’t worry about my parents” he said sensing her unease

“Ross there’s something I need to tell you something important and while we are all here. You all have to promise me that you will not tell anyone what I am about to tell you” she said starting to sweat and get nervous about what she was about to say.

“Its okay whatever it is I will support you” Ross said squeezing her hand in an almost gentle way that showed his support

“Okay well here it is” Rachel said letting out a big heave. “I am pregnant, I took the test this morning and took another one just to be sure and it’s true. You’re the father Ross!” she said smiling in joyful excitement remembering the night of passion that had caused this unexpected turn just a couple of weeks ago.

This caught Ross off guard a little bit, but he smiled deep down he was happy as he could ever be about the news, but it took him a few seconds to process “Wow Rach, I am so happy that’s amazing news” he said in sort of shock while reaching over and hugging her.

As they made it to the apartment they made their way up the stairs as they reached Monica’s apartment they could smell the aromas of turkey and gravy filling the hallway. As the kids ran off in a group together to the kids table set up in Monica’s bedroom with food and games to play. As Ross knocked on the door a attractive women answered the door and Ross leaned in gave her a hug making Rachel a little jealous     

“Monica you remember Rachel Green from Lincoln High?” Ross said pointing at her. This caused Rachel to become frazzled who how this was Monica boy she had changed but in an amazing way. She had lost lots of weight and looked stunning.

“Hi Monica, we have so much to catch up on, it’s so great to see you again.” Rachel said hugging and handing her a bottle of wine.

“Yeah, we sure do, come on inside” gesturing them to come into the apartment.

“JOEY!” Monica said in frustration as Joey had dug into the turkey at the table “You knew that I wanted you to wait for all of the guests!” she said grabbing the turkey away from near his plate and going back into the kitchen to try and repair what she could

“Sorry Monica I was hungry and wanted some food and tell it smelled so good and I could not resist” he said in a defensive tone “Besides you know food is my greatest weakness”

“Monica I was watching Joey, but I went to the washroom and next thing I know Joey was all over the turkey” Chandler said. “Hey Ross, who’s the girl with you?” this caused Joey to snap out of his trance “Ross and a girl that is not common, not at least since Ross and you know Carol the lesbian”

Ross still in shock from the big news that Rachel had told him finally responded “Sorry I am so rude, everyone this is Rachel Green, Rachel this is everyone. She actually used to go to Lincoln High school” he started before Monica cut him off

“Great story Ross you can tell us the rest over dinner, now that it is ready” she said setting the food down with the turkey sort of flubbed over due to Joey’s prior discretion.

At the next moment Jack and Judy Geller barged through the door “Hi everyone! It’s so great to see you all” Jack said

“Jack you can’t just barge into our daughter’s apartment” Judy chastised him

“Sorry I was just excited to see my Harmonica and scientist and it looks like Ross has found himself another lady friend after the lesbian dumped him” Jack said smiling at waving at Rachel who took a few seconds to wave and smile after looking over to Ross who gave her the thumbs up

“Nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Geller, I am Rachel Green, Ross’s new lady friend” Rachel said playing along with the ruse.

As the dinner feast started Phoebe showed up with her new Canadian boyfriend who liked to use ehs a lot in his speech which took awhile to get used to.  As they all got caught up in the conversation about how Ross and Rachel met again at the diner.

“So, Rachel do you still work at the diner?” Jack asked

“Yes, I work there during a couple evenings during the week after work at the office and on the weekends” Rachel answered as Judy sighed and rolled her eyes causing Ross to give her an intense stare as an awkward silence fell across the table

“What’s the matter mom?” Monica asked trying to ease the tension in the room

Judy struggling to find an excuse for her rudeness turned to what usually worked blame Monica. “Well Monica it’s just that the turkey is a little dry” she said putting emphasis on the word dry to try and make it believable.

“Well thanks for the feedback Mom I’ll make sure for next time, in the mean time enjoy it because I spent hours slaving over it” she shot back smiling trying to maintain the peace

 The rest of the meal was uneventful as they talked about Joey’s recent acting endeavours such as in some Shakespeare plays and recently modelling for the transit authority. The meal then ended as the table dispersed into their own separate groups. Phoebe and her boyfriend joined Chandler and Joey watching the Thanksgiving Day parade while Rachel and Monica did dishes leaving Ross alone with his parents.

**_ In the kitchen  _ **

“Monica that meal was delicious thanks for making it, it’s nice to have some family to spend some time with. Thanks again for letting me bring my sisters it’s been a busy time lately. You look amazing by the way how are things with you?” Rachel asked while scrubbing dishes and drying putting them away with at least to Monica surprising efficiency

“Things have been good. Thanks for the compliment and by what you said I am guessing you are wondering what happened to the girl that used to love her easy bake oven and had a lot more pounds on this gut. While I ended up going to fat camp after my first year of culinary college and really focused on my weight like never before and viola the results paid off” Monica said beaming with pride. “I turned out as a chef so my passion for food has never really left just it’s a healthier approach. I work as a sous chef a Demario’s Italian, how are things with you Rachel other then you are dating my brother?”

“Well things are alright, after graduation I went to Europe for the summer and then when I came back I went to college for a couple of years until my father passed away” she paused for a little as Monica interjected “I am so sorry Rachel” giving her an embrace

“It’s okay Mon it happened 5 years ago I have come to peace with it.” Although it still pained her at the thought of it “After he passed away we were running short of money as my mom stopped working and ended up moving into NYC. I dropped out of college and started working at the diner to help support my sisters and mom. I then just recently started working at an office during the week to get experience outside of just waitressing. My mom’s off in god knows where right now so I am basically running the household.” Rachel sighed realizing how far she had fallen since high school but was prideful at how much real life strap up the boots experience she had gotten in the school of hard knocks.

To move on the conversation, they started talking about movies that they had seen and favourite celebrities, meanwhile in the spare bedroom

**_ Spare bedroom  _ **

“Rachel’s such a nice lady, what a score” Jack said offering Ross a high five which he accepted “Not too hard now Ross I am not getting any younger” he teased

“Well she is nice and is not a lesbian, so she has that going for her” Judy added on but did not seem as an enthusiastic

Ross started getting nervous as his voice started to get squeaky “I am glad you approve because I have some big news to tell you, please sit down” he asked more like pleading

“Ross what’s the matter you are going pretty pale” Jack said with a growing sense of concern “This better not be about the easy bake again” which brought a course of laughter from all three. Jack Geller always knew how to use his humor to lighten the mood

“Yeah everything’s good, great actually. The thing is that I need to tell you is- “he quickly coughed before looking in silence which caused Jack and Judy to look at each other bewildered and then back at Ross expecting an answer

“Rachel’s pregnant with my child” he finally squeaked out which could have been defined as E sharp

“Well that’s great news, why so worried? You have loved Rachel since high school and you both are ready for this” Jack Geller laughed hitting Ross playfully across his right shoulder

“Ross you can’t have the child out of wedlock, I want you to marry Rachel and the sooner the better” Judy said bitterly adding on “Let’s go Jack and Ross next time I hear from you I want to hear that you are engaged to Rachel” she grabbed Jack by the arm and practically dragged him out. Jack gave Ross an apologetic look and waved goodbye mouthing to Ross “Traditionalist” Ross nodded in agreement

Ross swallowed hard and waved back. He lay down on the bed thinking hard about what to do and realized that he had to propose to Rachel, but it could wait but the time pressure of her pregnancy was also an issue. He knew he had to strike the right balance between the two limitations.

He knew that he had to come up with a plan and **_fast_** but he had just the idea of what to do


	3. Chapter 3

It had been a beautiful fall day a couple of weeks after thanksgiving and Ross was in the jewelry store a place that he not usually visited nor was familiar with, he was amazed at the selection that was offered. He was there to pick out an engagement ring for Rachel. After spending some time in the shop, he eventually decided a purple sapphire ring as purple was Rachel’s favourite colour. He then headed back to his apartment where he was going to have a guy’s night with Joey and Chandler.

As he walked into his apartment he was greeted by Chandler and Joey who were both excited to see him

“Hey Ross, excited to watch the game tonight on the extra-large screen? I just got the TV today. The guy at the store sure did a good job selling it to me. I probably don’t even need it but why not spend the bonus money I got on something exciting” Chandler said while Joey pointed at the TV with the biggest grin he could muster.

Joey’s attention then turned to what was in Ross’s hands, a little black box. “Hey Ross, what’s in that box?

Before Ross could respond Chandler quipped “He is a secret spy for the M16 intelligence and that is his listening box” laughing as he remembered the movie they had watched last week about a similar story.

“No Chandler it’s not a secret spy box it’s actually an engagement ring for Rachel” he said opening the box to reveal the ring. Chandler and Joey both opened their eyes very wide

“When are you proposing man? You just met the women only months ago at a diner and now you want to marry her?! Aren’t you taking this a little too quickly?” Chandler couldn’t help himself walking up to the ring and being amazed “I have to admit though it is pretty and sparkling Rachel probably would like that, most women would. At least you got a womanly eye for things” he said patting his friend on the shoulder never missing an opportunity to joke around.

“Well guys the reason I am marrying and proposing to Rachel is because well I got her pregnant and my mom said she would not be happy if I did not marry her before she gave birth” he admitted but raised his eyebrows and smiled trying to win them over.

“You have always been a mammas boy haven’t you Ross?” Joey teased before quickly adding “I mean it’s great your showing your commitment women love that and moms too I guess. All I ask for is that you raise the kid a Mets, Giants and Knicks fan!” he laughed then pointed to the TV and got them to join in to watch the game.

As the game was on they couldn’t help but pepper Ross with questions

“So, have you thought about the proposal because I am pretty sure Rachel is not going to want her memory of proposal to be at a science convention or the dinosaur museum” Chandler said in a more serious tone trying to give his friend genuine advice

Well I mean I have to agree with that, I was thinking that you should propose at the Italian food festival at the top of the lasagna ferris wheel ride.” Joey added while eating another slice of pizza

“Joe it’s Ross’s proposal not your proposal!” Chandler scolded him with Joey admitting defeat by nodding in agreement.

“I mean I was thinking of taking her on a short vacation to Philadelphia before Christmas and proposing to her there while we were at a restaurant. I heard there was a restaurant there called Harold’s that’s very upscale Italian place” he stopped himself laughing because he had somewhat agreed with Joey’s idea. “I would propose to her there” he had clearly done lots of thinking on the topic

“That’s a good idea there Ross and Italians are always known to be romantic not that I would know” Joey said smiling while still supporting his friend he liked to boast as well. He sure did have confidence with the ladies.   

“Ross that’s actually a good idea, I guess you science guys have more street smarts then we give you credit for. Have you thought about the wedding?” Chandler said adding onto the pressure. He was Ross’s friend, but he liked to be well prepared for things. After all that’s what his job data analytics was all about.

“Well I was thinking of letting Rachel decide because she can’t drink and that is one of the more fun things at a wedding other then marrying the person that you love and want to spend the rest of your life with. But my idea and I will share it with Rachel was that we would go to Hawaii to have a destination wedding. It would be tropical and there is lots of activities to do” Ross added proud of himself for thinking so far in advance. The truth was that he loved Rachel and could not wait to spend the rest of his life with her, planning this was a way to show how committed he was.

“Well pal I have to admit you have your life way more planned out then I do and are already having kids, good job” Chandler said while offering and receiving a high five from Ross.

“Quiet guys the games on” Joey complained as they settled into their seats and started munching on the popcorn and sipping their beers. The result was 98 Knicks-90 for the Bulls which was surprising result considering how good the Bulls were. The basketball gods were shining down on them that night or at least that is what Phoebe would have told them.

**_ Later that week at Monica’s apartment  _ **

“Thanks for having my over Mon and Phoebe, it’s nice to start having some social life again. I am happy that my sisters were able to stay at Mrs. Jones place tonight allowing us some fun girl bonding time, I heard they were making hot cocoa and fondue while watching Sixteen Candles” Rachel smiled as she licked the spoon of cookie dough happy overall at how things were going. “Even my mom is getting better although she is in Athens now with her boyfriend Todd which is great she sounded so happy on the phone”

“No problem Rachel and I remembered you always liked cookie dough in high school, so I wanted to make this night fun even if you can’t have alcohol. Glad you mom is doing good” Monica said beaming with pride at how grown up Rachel had become since the high school days although it did come at a cost.

“Do you guys have any plans for before or over the Christmas holidays?” Phoebe asked as she had no current plans of her own

“Well not much I am probably just going to be working before Christmas break and then spending time with my family at my parent’s place in Long Island with Doug” Monica said mentioning her new boyfriend.

“Yeah Doug, how are things with him?” Phoebe responded trying to bring out some interesting gossip as all they had talked about before was about the TV shows that had been watching or movies they wanted to see

“Well Doug is good, nothing special. He works as an accountant at some accounting firm I forget the name. Anyway, he is a little aloof and distant sometimes not sure why, but he is a great listener and good in bed too” she added causing laughter to spread around the room

“What about you Rachel, you have any plans?” Phoebe sure was an inquisitive one tonight

“Well I think Ross told me earlier this week that he is taking me on a vacation to Philadelphia over the Christmas holidays I think, he wants to go ice skating, shopping, eating out and maybe go to a Philadelphia flyers hockey game.” She said excited at the prospect of going on a vacation as she had not been on one in ages, not since her father had passed away.

“That would be so much fun, maybe I could join with you guys and see if I could find my father, Last I heard he was down in the city of brotherly love. Hey, I could even give you two a lift in my taxi if you wanted to. There’s lots of room” Phoebe said while twirling her hair trying to convince Rachel.

Rachel smiled back at Phoebe as she pondered the idea not sure exactly what to say in terms of a yes or no answer. She didn’t want to hurt her friend but also wanted some alone time to bond and grow her relationship with Ross. A growing sense of concern filled Monica who chimed in

“Phoebe I need to talk to you in the kitchen, NOW” she said while jerking her head in the direction of the kitchen. As she walked in Phoebe followed her not quite understanding what was going on. Rachel continued watching the movie they had on _Weekend At Bernie’s_ which was one of her favorites.

“What’s the matter Monica?”

“Well Phoebe it was a nice gesture to offer them a ride and tag along on their vacation to Philly I can’t allow it.” Monica said sternly clearly relishing the role of being in charge causing Phoebe to become confused

“Why not?” she laughed not understanding what was going on

“Because Ross is proposing to Rachel in Philadelphia you have to promise not to tell because you know it’s supposed to be a surprise” she said hushing her voice at the second half as not to alert Rachel.

Phoebe covered her mouth in surprise and looked back and Rachel, she was over the moon happy at the news that she just heard. Her friends were her everything and she promised from the bottom of her heart that the secret was safe with her.


	4. Chapter 4

That winter had started off with a cold and snowy start as Rachel and Ross made their way down to Philadelphia. It may have been cold outside, but it was not enough to put a damper on the warmth and happiness that was inside the car even with Ross’s clenched white knuckle driving in the snowstorm.

 “Ross hon you don’t have to drive another hour in this weather if you don’t want to, we can pull over for the night if you need to” Rachel said trying to give support and comfort to Ross

“It’s okay Rachel we are only an hour away and besides I already paid for the night at the hotel we are staying at, so it makes sense to just go there” he said while giving away his upbringing which taught him to be frugal when he could

“Okay sounds good, that’s a good point anyway” she said while taking a valium to calm her down as she didn’t like driving in the snowstorms even if she was just the passenger. She didn’t want to worry Ross more then he was either. It made her a bit drowsy but before she knew it they were at the hotel trying to check it. It had been a long night and it showed

“Hi, welcome do you have a reservation with us tonight folks?” the man at the desk asked in the friendliest manner Rachel could have remembered a hotel employee being

“G-G-Gell” Ross said struggling to get through his chattering teeth from being exhausted by the long drive

“Sir I am sorry I can’t understand may you please speak up?”

“Geller, Ross Geller is the reservation, sorry it’s just been a long drive in the snowstorm” Rachel said while rubbing Ross’s shoulder trying to relax him

“No problem ma’am I have it right here, I just need to see your drivers licence to confirm and I can give you the room key”

Ross ended up reaching into his pocket, but his hands were still sore and a little shaky, so he ended up dropping the card, he was a little embarrassed but picked it up and gave it to the clerk.

“Thanks sir, You folks have a good night and you got here just in time as the storm is supposed to get worse overnight” the clerk said. “Here is some complimentary breakfast buffet vouchers for tomorrow morning as they are predicting most places to be snowed in tomorrow morning” he added smiling “Have a goodnight folks”

As they made their way to the room lugging their bags through the hallway Ross calmed down and started joking with Rachel

“I sounded like a mess in there didn’t I?” he said chuckling

“A little but it was not that bad I don’t blame you anyway it has been a long night and it’s all part of the adventure” she concluded

As they made it to the room they dropped their bags and got unpacked. They were both exhausted, so they decided to just head to bed after they got into their respective Star Wars and pink Bunny PJ’s. Both had a sound sleep. It was going to be a big day tomorrow.

As the clerk had predicted it had been snowed in for the morning at least for the time being. The snow had tapered off and the plows were in full force at least which clamed Ross’s nerves since it looked like they would be able to get to the reservation at Harold’s.

They ate a bland breakfast which was alright by hotel standards before heading out on their itinerary for the day that they had planned. The first stop was going ice skating which was another adventure

“Ross I can’t do it, I am just making a fool of myself” Rachel said in frustration as she had fallen for what had seemed like the umpteenth time

“It’s okay Rachel how about I skate behind you until you get your bearings?” he pleaded as she had been adamant before that she did not need Ross’s help, she even admitted that she was stubborn sometimes

“Okay let’s try that then” she said finally giving into Ross’s plea, he was probably right

As she slowly started skating Ross held her from behind, so she would not fall. Eventually she got the hang of it and was gliding on her own while wobbling a little.

Ross smiling cheered her on from the side giving her support “Go Rachel give your legs some more space so to keep your balance” she heeded his advice and started to really get the hang of it.

“I am doing it, look at me” as she started skating faster and skating by Ross who gave her a high five which she accepted without losing her balance. She started skating in laps while waving at Ross and smiling and giggling in delight. She eventually skated with Ross while they were holding hands while gliding along the ice enjoying each others company.   

“Well I learned how to skate thanks to you, now I need to learn how to use the hockey stick and then I can join you guys when you go to the rec league” she smiled since she was happy at the thought of spending time with Ross in activities that he enjoyed too

“Yeah that would be fun, maybe on the same teams so we are not competing against each other, you know how competitive we are” he teased causing Rachel to hug him out of delight and trying to really soak in the moment.

As Rachel skated away to untie her skates an older women approach Ross on her skates and poked at him to gain his attention

“Hi, you are two together?” she asked pointing at Rachel who was a little confused and waved back

“Yeah we are together why?” Ross asked

“Well I think you are the most adorable couple, All the best” she smiled and skated off. This gave Ross some swagger as he skated over to Rachel and told her about the encounter which caused more giggles from Rachel.

The rest of the day went by in lightening speed as they played the role of tourists going to all of the hotspots in Philly such as the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall which interested Ross while also going to the shopping mall where Rachel bought some designer clothes from her $500 spending money for the trip. As they got back to the hotel and changed for their night out at the restaurant

“Ross you look stunning in that tux” Rachel said running her finger down his chest as Ross tugged on his bowtie.

“Well Rachel you look dashing in your blue dress, it suits you well” he said pulling Rachel in an embrace and a quick dance twirling her around under his arm. He then quickly checked his watch sighing at the time but also excited plus nervous at what he was about to do

“Gosh I don’t want to end our little session here, but we better go or else we are going to be late for our reservation” he opened the door like a gentleman for Rachel and followed her. He drove down the road for 20 miles before pulling into the restaurant which was packed. Not surprising since it was a Saturday night.

As they entered the restaurant the smells of garlic and pesto filled the room causing Ross stomach to rumble which caused to look down. He was nervous enough about tonight, but he did not want any additional attention.

The hostess greeted them, confirmed their reservation and brought them to their table while they waited for their waiter who appeared in no time at all.

“Hi there welcome to Harold’s my name is Frank Buffay Jr and I’ll be your waiter for the night, lets started off with some ambiance” he said while lighting up the candle in the center. “May I start off with some drinks?”

“Well get some of the Sicilian red wine bottle for me and a water for the lady please” Ross said while setting is menu down

“Hey Frank, do you happen to have a sister named Phoebe by chance?” Rachel asked pointing her finger in the air realizing her epiphany that had befallen her.     

Frank caught off guard after being distracted by writing down the order looked up a little dazed “Yeah I actually do have a sister named Phoebe and another named Ursula. I have actually never met Phoebe but out of curiosity how do you know Phoebe?” he asked intrigued

“Well we are actually friends with her in NYC and have been for quite some time or at least I have, we used to be roommates” Rachel said

“Wow the world really can be a small place, if it’s possible tell her I said hi and maybe we can use you as our connection to meet up one time. It would be great to meet her” he said trying to get over his astonishment at what he had heard. As he walked back to get the bottles he started whistling a happy tune.

“Wow that was interesting wasn’t it, its always fascinating how with billions of people on this planet how small and interconnected it can really be this world society” Ross said twitching a little as beads of sweat trickled down his face

“Ross are you feeling okay?” Rachel voiced her concern noticing how pale Ross was becoming “If you want we can go back to the hotel and get room service”

“No Rach it’s okay just feeling a little dehydrated, I am just going to go to the washroom to wash my hands” he said excusing himself

In the washroom he washed his hands and grabbed the hand towel rubbing it along his face to get rid of the sweat. He began pep talking himself telling himself he could do it in the mirror and giving himself ravishing looks in the mirror by raising his eyebrows and smiling.

“Hey man are you alright?” another customer asked

“Oh yeah I am fine, just proposing to my girlfriend tonight” he said laughing trying to make the situation less awkward.

“That’s awesome man, good luck with it I am sure you’ll do fine, don’t sweat it” the man said slapping Ross on the back for morale support.

As the dinner worn on they ended up sharing a big pate of spaghetti which allowed them to play around with it and give each other some spaghetti kisses by slurping the noodles until they kissed

As Frank cleared the final plates from the table Ross reached into his pocket which intrigued Rachel. As Ross went around the table and got on one kneed beside Rachel she clued in to what was going on and started welling up waving her hands in her face crying tears of excitement and joy

Ross opened the box revealing the ring inside stuttering a little due to nervousness as the eyes of the whole restaurant were on them “Rachell Karen Green will you marry me?” he said staring into her eyes and smiling

“Yes, Ross I will marry you” she replied as Ross put the ring on her finger and they embraced for a good minute or two whispering in each others ears their emotions as Ross wiped away Rachels tears with his thumb they kissed passionately as the entire dining room was clapping

The owner of the restaurant walked over to Frank with a cake in the shape of a heart “Franky boy I want you to take this over to the lovebirds over there and wish them all the best for me will ya?” he said handing over the cake to Frank

Frank trying not to wobble too much as to not drop the cake finally made it over to the table after muttering some “excuse me’s” and polite pushing through the crowd that had gathered

“For the Mr and Miss’s Geller from the owner I present a heart shaped token of congratulations and well wishes” he said placing the cake on the table and giving the thumbs up to Ross and Rachel. He took their picture in front of the cake to give to the couple as well as post on the restaurants walls. 

As the commotion settled down Frank walked back with the bill and cheque book placing it down on the table

“Hey Frank, is there anything you want us to tell Phoebe? A message or something, it’s the least we could do for your amazing service and as a friend other then leaving a great tip which you will be getting” Ross said smiling with pen in hand ready to commit to his offer and also commit to his wife

“Well other then saying hi to Phoebe, tell her that I have 3 kids and am married to Alice and that things are going good and I hope that things are well with her as well. Also, can you give her this number? It’s our dads and I imagine he would be delighted to her from her. All the best on your wedding” Frank said while collecting the cheque from Ross he did an Irish kick which he explained meant good luck would be bestowed upon them

“Frank you and Alice plus the kids are invited to the wedding, just give me your address and I’ll send the invitations once we know what’s happening with our wedding, If it’s possible even bring your dad it would be a great reunion for you three” Rachel said radiating her joyful mood as Frank wrote it down on the back of a napkin.

With them wishing their goodbyes and well wishes they headed back to the hotel where they snuggled into the bed and made some microwave popcorn. They started talking and the topic of the wedding casually came up when they were discussing the broader topic of their futures together

“For the wedding I was hoping we could do a beach destination wedding, I was thinking since there is going to be lots of extended family and stuff from both sides Hawaii might be fun plus lots of excursions and great weather most of the year” Ross said getting hyped talking about wedding plans

“Well I agree on the beach destination part and Hawaii would be fun, I just don’t think I could afford it right now Ross, I have $5,000 in my savings account and that’s from lots of hard work pulling 50-60-hour weeks working 2 minimum wage jobs. Plus, I want to go to fashion design school this and $5 000 is only one year’s tuition thus the other 3 years will be paid for with mostly loans.  How about somewhere closer on the beach less expensive?” she said trying not to deflate Ross’s hyped up energy and enthusiasm

“I totally understand where your coming from, I actually have a backup plan, what about Melbourne Beach Florida? It’s on the beach, relatively inexpensive and an hour away from Disney world and Cape Carnival NASA space station would be really cool.” Ross’s inner geek was starting to shine through

“Yeah that would be a good idea I like it let’s set that as our main idea for now. Plus, it will be easier for everyone to arrive since it is only around a 2-hour flight from NYC” Rachel said happy that they were able to work out their differences like rational people.

The next morning as they were packing up after breakfast their phone rang in the hotel room as Ross picked up as Rachel was in the shower. They talked for awhile until Rachel finished.

“Love you too Mon, here’s Rachel. See you when we get back” Ross handed the phone to Rachel

“Hey Rachel, how’d it go last night?” Monica said with her wonder in her voice bursting through the telephone line 

“Monica it was amazing, we had the greatest day yesterday seeing all the attractions and I learned how to skate which was fun. Dinner was delicious thank Joey for the recommendation. Also, Ross proposed it was amazing!” she said casually dropping in the last part

Monica’s voice picked up asking lots of questions “Where’s the wedding? When are you coming home? I need more information” she said getting almost demanding but in a friendly way as she as excited for her friend.

“Well we actually decided on the wedding location in Melbourne Beach Florida and I’ll be home this evening and will tell you all about how little Philly vacation then. Also can you tell Phoebe that we met her brother Frank Jr and he says hi”

“Will do, sorry to let you go my mom’s calling probably wanting to know all about the wedding, anyway I’ll see you tonight”

“See you tonight Mon” Rachel said as the dial tone took over from where Monica’s voice once was

All they had to do now was plan and run a wedding in just under 2 months due to the restrictions placed because of her pregnancy. No small task but one that could easily be done with their 2 minds put together and Monica’s planning regimen. It was going to be the wedding between Ross Geller and Rachel Green and it would be one for the ages. 


	5. Chapter 5

Before they knew it, the big day had arrived, their wedding day. The planning had been set and the invitations sent. As the warmth and sun of Melbourne Beach Florida beamed down and the crashes of the waves went along the beach there could not have been a more perfect day to have the wedding.

As the music began to play Ross was walked down the aisle by his mother Judy and Rachel was walked down the aisle by Joey as her mother had not attended. The minister began to say his vows and the moment of truth was her

“Repeat after me, I Ross Geller take thee Rachel Green to be my lawful wife until death due us apart” the minster said

“I Ross Geller take thee Rachel Green to be my lawful wife until death due us apart” Ross said smiling unable to contain his emotion as he was caught up in the moment

The minister then turned to Rachel “I Rachel Green take thee Ross Geller to be my lawful husband until death due us apart”

Rachel moving the hair out of her face smiled back at Ross “I Rachel Green take thee Ross Geller to be my lawful husband until death due us apart”

At that moment Ross put the ring on Rachel’s finger and the minister proclaimed the words that everyone had been looking forward to “You may now kiss” as Rachel and Ross locked lips engaging in another one of their passionate embraces as there was whoops and hollers as well as clapping from the audience.

“Great ceremony and congratulations to the bride and groom but I am starving so I am going to go to the buffet now” Joey said standing up making sure that his intentions were well known. As Chandler grabbed him and yanked him back down scolding him for partially ruining the moment. Ross and Rachel walked back down the aisle together for the first time being married.

Since the wedding was on the beach it they decided to have the after-wedding reception at the beach as well with tents for the buffet and dance area. As the time was nearing 5pm they decided to start the buffet which was a fillet magnon steak with green beans and mashed potatoes with garlic bread and a vanilla wedding cake for desert. As they grabbed their food and sat down at the table with Ross’s parents Jack and Judy.

“Ross that was a lovely wedding, I mean to be honest at first I was a little skeptical about the location of the wedding, but it has turned out great.” Judy said while turning to Rachel “Darling you look amazing and that dress sure hides the pregnancy bump you are getting” she said while reaching over and touching Rachel’s stomach which caused Ross to wince trying to get his mom to ask first and give his mom a stare “What Ross? I am feeling some movement now” she exclaimed in excitement

“I can’t wait to have our first grandchild, we can do to the ball games and ride scooters down the street” Jack said thinking fondly of all of the activities they he could do

“Dad remember Ben? Your first grandchild?” Ross said trying not to embarrass his dad

“Right I forgot, he spends so much time with Carol and Susan I forget sometimes” he admitted

At that moment Ben came running up and gave his dad a high five

“Congratulations Dad I just wanted to let you know that the Knicks are losing in the fourth quarter” he said as Susan and Carol walked up

“That’s not too good but hey the Knicks are losing most games these days so it’s not much of a surprise so let’s not let that result ruin this occasion” he said ruffling his son’s hair. Ben had become fascinated by basketball recently

“Hi Ross, how’s it going? Congratulations on the marriage” Carol said with Susan saying the same thing trying to be kind. It was a little awkward having the love triangle that had caused so much animosity be together again.

“It’s going great, thanks for getting us those mugs and cups with the butterflies and flowers are them they were really nice” Ross said having a photographic memory of sorts about who gave them gifts

“No problem I picked them out from Pottery Barn, they have lots of great housewarming ideas in that store” Susan added genuinely feeling happy that Ross had moved on from Carol and this would hopefully be the start of a new more cooperative and understanding relationship between the three

“Well Ben’s running off feeding the gulls again, so we better go catch up, it was nice seeing you again and enjoy the night” Carol said as her and Susan went to go get Ben as he was feeding the seagulls.

“It was nice seeing you again too” he waved as they ran to stop Ben. Secretly deep down inside Ross was happy that Ben had an interest in nature and not just in sports it would help him bond better he thought as Ben grew older

“Now you’re probably wondering why you didn’t receive a gift from us yet other then help pay for the wedding of course. We are going to give you your gift now” Judy said as Jack reached down into his duffel bag and pulled out an envelope and handed it over to Rachel who promptly opened it.

“Wow thanks so much I can’t believe it.” Rachel said touched by what was in the card holding her hand to her mouth as to try and not show too much shock and emotion

“What is it Rachel?” Ross said leaning over to get the scoop on what was going on

“They gave me $4000 for a semester at fashion design school and as a couple a couple’s spa massage treatment at the place Phoebe has just started working” Rachel said as he looked over at Jack and Judy and reached over the shake their hands thanking them again for the amazing gift

“Well we may have been looking at your design sketchbook and were impressed at the drawings that were in there, so we wanted to help pay for your education at the fashion school, ow!” Jack said while reaching down rubbing his knee in pain

“Jack she wasn’t supposed to know we went rummaging through her personal sketchbook without her permission, I always knew that you weren’t the best secret keeper” Judy laughed at his expense

“Oh, its not a big deal at all, I am just happy that you thought my drawings were impressive and once again thanks for helping pay for my dream education” Rachel said with not a care in the world.

“We are glad you like it, it was actually all Ross’s idea” Jack said spilling more secrets, Judy just laughed as the wine may have been kicking in making her more relaxed.

At the mention of it being Ross’s idea Rachel leaned over and draped her hand over Ross’s neck and pecked him on the cheek, as heat flash radiated off Ross who smiled.

“I sure made the right choice didn’t I”

“Yes, you did Rachel Geller” Ross replied making it happy to call her by her new last name

As the cake was being dispersed to the tables there was some commotion at the front entrance of the canopy tents. “Is this the wedding of Ross and Rachel?” a tall oil pale skin tone older gentleman asked the waiter who responded, “Yes this is sir, how can I help you?”

“I am Sandra Green the mother of the bride is there anyway you could let me know where she would be located?” Sandra Green asked tugging her boyfriend Todd in anticipation

“Yeah she is just over at the center tables over their ma’am” the waiter pointed over to the table where everyone was located

Rachel looked over and at that moment she thought that the evening could not have gotten any better but before she knew it her mom was at the table with her boyfriend Todd. While Rachel hugged her mom and shook Todd’s hand in a quick and formal manner. She and Todd were then introduced to everyone at the table

“Mom I thought you were not coming, anyway it is so nice to see you and finally get to meet Todd” Rachel smiled

“Well we wanted to be here earlier, but we were on a connection flight from Athens to London then to Orlando. The plane ended up getting delayed at Heathrow airport because of a snowstorm the other day so everything was backed up. Anyway, here we are, and we are happy to be here” Sandra said with an enthusiastic tone

“It’s finally nice to meet you and Ross, Sandra has told me lots about you its just nice to meet you” Todd said trying to fit in. Rachel had heard from her mom that Todd was a little shy but that was okay as long as he was making an effort

After the cake was taken away and a couple of rounds of alcohol had been served the clanging of spoon to glass was heard around the tent, it was time for the traditional wedding toasts.

Chandler stood up

“I would like to make a toast to the groom Ross. My name is Chandler and I am one of Ross’s best friends and we first met in college as roommates and bandmates of a rock band Way No Way. While in college we had many great experiences together and became really good friends through many wild adventures and hijinks. There are a few things that you should know about Ross. Ross has always been a science nerd staying late up in the college dorm to watch Discovery Channel documentaries while the rest of the floor was out partying.

He was also a very devote friend and student he would always help out with class projects and essays. One of the funnier stories that I remember was when Ross actually went out to a party and Monica and Rachel came up for a visit, so Ross wanted to show he fit in, so he went. Monica was feeling tired, so she went back to Ross’s room and fell asleep on the bed. Ross went up later, but the lights were off. He thought it was Rachel who he had a crush on and was spending the night with on the dance floor, but he ended up kissing his sister Monica!” Chandler paused as the gasps and laughter could be heard across the tent. He looked over at Ross who was blushing and staring at his shoes in embarrassment

Chandler continued

“As we grew older I found out that Ross could be loyal friend always able to drop everything and rush over when you needed him. He was able to do things that he did not like such as going to bridal shows with his sister Monica, but I guess we returned the favour by going to his paleontology conventions. At least he actually knows my job which data analytic and not a transponder which is what other people have thought _cough_ Rachel _cough_. Anyway, running out of time so to cap off Ross is devout, loyal and has loads of empathy which in plain speak means that he will make a great father and husband. To the bride and groom.” He said clanging his glass and sat down satisfied with his speech considering he had always had a fear of public speaking.

Next and sort of unexpectedly Sandra stood up

“I am sure many of you don’t know me my names Sandra Green and I am Rachel’s mother. I did not plan on making a speech tonight but here I am. To start off Rachel has grown up so much before my eyes these last few years after the tragic death of her father she has come so far from the days of the spoiled girl who live and breathed and quite frankly was the epitome of the 1980s who was obsessed with status, style and gossip. She has transformed into a independent woman who actually knows how to earn her paycheck and do her laundry on her own.” This caused some laughter to erupt around the room

“To continue I want to conclude that I am happy that my daughter has found her true love and is going to be spending the rest of life with science nerd. Her sisters are proud of their sister as well who has raised them recently as I have been absent recently and for that I am forever grateful. That experience will give her another real-world experience that will enable her to jump right into motherhood. To the bride and groom and to one up Chandler everyone takes a shot of your drink to toast the bride and groom” she said leading the example by taking a shot of her own drink

The rest of the wedding toasts went by quickly with Jack Geller mentioning that Ross had learned how to become better at sharing after highlighting his easy bake issues between him and Monica when they were younger. Monica talked about both Ross and Rachel. When she spoke about Ross she states that he had a heart of gold and would support her when she was younger and going through bullying due to her weight. For Rachel she said that she was a great friend who would have makeup tips and tricks and was happy that she would be going into design.

After the toasts had finished it was time to hit the dance floor as the slow dance began with the Queen song _You’re My Best Friend_ played in the background.

As Ross and Rachel waltzed around the dance floor they teased with each other

“That was quite the toasts that we had there they sure got both of us pretty good” Ross laughed as he twirled Rachel and grabbed her by the hips to do a mini salsa dance.

“Yeah it sure was but hey that’s what friends and family are there for to remind us of our colourful past and the great qualities we have” Rachel laughed remembering some of the funnier parts

“I can’t believe that you actually kissed your sister”

“Yeah that was definitely a sore spot for my ego, especially considering it was my fist kiss” he felt embarrassed about admitting it

“Wow, thanks for sharing that with me, I’ll have to keep that in my memory bank for future use” she teased but inside was happy that Ross was able to be this open and honest with her even if it was not an appealing subject

As the dance ended the wedding was about to end they began to say goodbye to everyone and get ready to get into the rented limo to head back to the hotel where they would be heading off onto their honeymoon in the Florida Keys. Joey walked up to them looking a little dazed and confused

“Hey Ross, great wedding, have you seen Chandler, I wanted to see if he wanted to catch the late-night Rangers game against the Kings at the hotel bar?”

“No sorry I have not seen him at all since before the dances. Sorry Joe” Ross patted him on the shoulder to give him some support

“That’s okay I’ll ask around a bit and see if anyone else knows, if I don’t see you guys have a great time in the Keys I heard that there is amazing seafood and even more attractive ladies” he said quickly backtracking “Not as hot as Rachel, I mean Rachels not hot, but she is attractive. I’ll just excuse myself now, have a good time guys he said before shaking Ross’s and Rachel’s hands and walking down towards the beach where everyone was still mingling trying to put that encounter out of his mind for now.

Joey walked up down to the beach asking around until he met Todd and introduced himself

“Nice to meet you Todd, out of curiosity are you Mexican?” shrugging his shoulders taking a guess at his nationality

“Nice to meet you too Joey and no I am Greek but close guess.”

“Hey Todd, have you seen Chandler? The guy that did the toast more like roast of Ross?” Joey asked

“Yeah, I saw him, in the change room kissing Monica, I walked right out not wanting to intrude but they seemed in a pretty passionate embrace. To be honest I don’t even think they knew I was there” he said chuckling to himself more then to Joey

Joey’s eyes grew large at the surprising revelation, but he quickly returned to normal after realizing that it was the reason that Chandler had always been sneaking around the past few weeks. Now at least he knew what all those “appointments” were about

“Well nice meeting you Todd, if you see Chandler let him know that Joey is in the hotel bar watching the Rangers-Kings game” shaking his hand and walking off

Meanwhile in the hotel Ross and Rachel were also in a passionate embrace continuing the joyous feelings that the wedding had brought out. After they started doing some packing for the next day which would consist of lots of driving. As they turned out the light they both thought it had been the most magical and best lives of their respective lives. For them the journey was only just beginning and this wedding was that start of that journey.


	6. Chapter 6

**_ 10 Months into the future or May 1995 _ **

It had been a whirlwind the past 10 month after the wedding and the honeymoon. Since the wedding Rachel had gave birth to twins. One boy named Paul and a girl named Patricia. After the birth she decided to take up going to fashion school which was always a dream of hers while continuing to work at the diner which allowed her to take day classes. The downside was that she did not get to see the kids and Ross as much, but she tried her best.

That particular evening, she had gotten off work around 8pm and was heading home when over the subway she heard the following announcement

_Attention passengers we are experiencing delays of 20 minutes, we are working hard to minimize delays but please expect impacts to your commute. Thanks for your patience and continuing to ride the MTA._

Rachel sighed as she picked up her backpack from the platform and staring into the wall. She was excited to spend the night with Ross and the kids but now she would not be back until at least 9:30pm. As the subway finally pulled up she got in and sat near the window and let her mind at ease as the lights passed by in the tunnel

As she opened the door to the apartment Ross greeted her

“Hey, honey the kids are fed and put to bed, I saw on the news that the subways were delayed I was guessing that was the reason why you were late, but I saved you some left over adult meal.” He said while going over to the fridge and pulling out some chicken teriyaki bowl with vegetables and putting it into the microwave

“Thanks Ross I appreciate it, it smells so good and I am starved” Rachel said as the steaming bowl was placed in front of her with a glass of water. The next thing she felt was Ross’s lips gently touching her head as he whispered “No problem, enjoy. I love you.” Releasing his lips “I’ll just be in the living room watching the discovery channel”

As Rachel washed off her dishes she noticed the time 10pm and went into the kid’s room of the apartment and kissed them goodnight as they were sleeping. She walked back into the kitchen and made some microwave popcorn and brought some into the living room in a bowl while Ross was watching some sort of documentary as he was marking some papers

“Hey honey here’s some popcorn” passing Ross the bowl with extra butter just the way that he liked it. “How was today at the university?” she asked, they both had begun the habit of being interested in each other’s days and it was a nice unwinding exercise

 “It was good, taught about some ancient history, paleontology and American political history. Have some interesting test paper about the current climate. They thought Hilary Clinton was the current president, but it is actually Bill Clinton. I am a nice prof, so I decided to give them part marks since they got the last name right.” He laughed as he showed Rachel writing down 0.5 out of 1 for the multiple-choice question mark

“Speaking of a good prof thanks for taking care of the kids tonight I appreciate it” Rachel said giving him a hug which caused him to spill some popcorn on the couch causing Rachel to laugh “Your lucky Monica is not here. She would not be impressed about the spilled popcorn making a mess of the couch” she said getting up to grab some napkins to clean up

When she returned she asked, “What show are you watching anyway?” staring at the TV munching on the popcorn as penguins were shown across the screen

“I am just watching a documentary about the history behind the penguins and their movement across the globe, it was saying that apparently the penguins have always been at the south pole throughout their entire history” Ross said smiling at the fact he had learned

“How was your day Rachel?” he asked as he looked over only to see Rachel’s head buried into her textbook _Fashion Design an introduction_

“It was good Ross, had some interesting classes this one professor is really funny which was my history of fashion class talking about Chanel. The diner was good tonight too most of the guests were nice even had a couple of my classmates eating there so it was nice to catch up. Sorry if I seem distracted just studying for my test tomorrow” she said flipping the page in the textbook and frivolously writing down notes at a leisurely pace.

“Well that sounds exciting, I am going to head to bed have a big day tomorrow with a field trip with one of my classes to my old museum, will be nice to see my old co-workers again” Ross said turning the television off and heading to the bedroom. “Good luck on your test tomorrow I am sure you’ll do great” he hollered the words jumbled from brushing his teeth 

“Goodnight Ross have fun at the field trip” she said in a quieter tone as not to disturb the babies. As she continued to study by the glow of the desk lamp she lost track of time and before she knew it her eyes becoming baggier she looked at the time. 1:00am it was time to go to bed she thought closing her textbook.

At that moment one of the babies started wailing from the bedroom, she got up to see them as she had promised Ross that if he fed them she would take care of them when they were crying and vice versa. As she got into the room she picked him up sat down on the rocking chair and started slowly rocking

“Your so cute little Patricia” she said brushing her little bit of hair that was on her, Patricia eventually clamed down after 30 minutes so she kissed her on the forehead and put her back to sleep. The clock read 1:30am and she was exhausted and decided to go to bed. As she walked into the washroom she had a pained expression on her face

“Rachel your pushing yourself too much” she told herself as she saw the tiredness in her eyes and baggy eyelids which were barely staying open. She brushed her teeth and put on her PJ’s and quietly snuck into the bed doing her best not to disturb Ross. She fell asleep right away and it was a peaceful sleep at that

The next thing she remembered was walking up at 5:30am with Ross’s alarm going off and him gently forcing her awake.

“Good morning Rach, you look tired, here I made you some coffee did you get a good sleep?” he asked with a hint of concern in his voice as he looked at his wife whose eyes could barely stay open

“Thank Ross, Yeah I slept fine just studying and the kids kept me up a little late but that’s okay. Thanks for forcing me to get up there’s no way that I would have been able to stay up. Probably would have went back to sleep” Rachel said sipping her coffee which would help her for at least part of the morning.

“Well I am heading off to NYU right now, can you drop the kids off at Phoebe’s before you head out?” Ross asked as he was tying his tie in a hurried manner checking his watch before giving Rachel a peck on the cheek and ruffling her unkempt hair. He sped out of the room as not to be late for his field trip before Rachel could even say another word out of her mouth.

Rachel had a longer shower then usual while the kids were still sleeping. She then fed the kids who like usual whined and made a mess that she quickly cleaned up before bathing and changing the kids. They were babies after all and adorable ones at that. She put them in their strollers while having her backpack of school supplies.

As she walked up to Phoebe’s apartment and knocked on the door Phoebe’s boyfriend Mike Hannigan answered. “Hi Rachel, dropping off the kids for the day?” he asked bending down and waving at them playfully

“Yeah, look Mike I apologize I just have to get going really quickly but I really appreciate you and Phoebe looking after the kids today, Ross is busy at work and I have a test this morning, so I can’t miss class. Tell Phoebe I said hi” but at that moment Phoebe appeared just outside of her peripheral vision

“Rachel, Ross was telling me about your test today. Good luck on it I am sure you will be amazing! We love looking after the kids and maybe it will get this hunk to want to seriously start a family with me or at least think about it, he’s great with kids” she teased Mike playfully jabbing at his ribs which caused Mike to smile and make a goofy face at the babies.

“By the way Rachel, in case you don’t know Chandler and Monica are starting to get serious with their relationship. They are spending this weekend in the Poconos” she said excited that their best friends were hitting it off in a good way with a happy relationship.

“That’s amazing Phoebe the weather is supposed to be amazing this weekend too, I’ll have to stop by Monica’s tomorrow to talk before she goes. I feel bad not keeping in touch more often it’s just with the kids and fashion school it’s been hectic lately” she said fixing her hair that had blown around in the wind  

“Look I love catching up with you guys but I really have to get going it’s already 7am and with the rush hour a 30 minute subway ride can turn into 50 minutes, I have to get going but thanks again you guys are a godsend” she said hugging Phoebe and shaking Mike’s hand leaving the kids who started wailing again. It pained her, but she knew she needed to focus on the test. She wished she could get some of Phoebes enthusiasm

As the subway train roared to a stop at the station Rachel was worried about her test that day. She knew she should have studied more but her mind was just not in the mood to study the night prior. As she walked to campus her legs ached from the couple of blocks and the shift from last night. As she walked into her 8am class with a few minutes to spare she felt a wave of panic sweep over her. The professor and proctors started handing out the tests.

After the test she walked out of the class room in a sour mood and continued with her day of class that afternoon. As she was leaving campus to catch the bus while waiting at the bus platform one of the few friends she had made Gina ran up to her to talk. Since it was Rachel’s first semester of school since high school she was still trying to get used to it all over again.

“Hey Rachel, how’s it going? How did you find the test in Professor Appleworth’s class?” she asked almost excited. Rachel was happy to have a studious friend like Gina who was always wanting to form study groups. Gina was from a wealthy family from the upper east side but was still humble and caring.

“It’s great Gina, the test not so much I think but it is what it is probably should have studied more.” She admitted looking down embarrassed since it was a first-year course

“Hey, its okay I don’t think I did that well either, I studied too much about the colour and design choices of fashion but there were more theoretical questions and not as many application questions as I thought. Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to come to girl’s night tonight to unwind and go see a new movie called Goodwill Hunting with Robin Williams and Matt Damon” she said excited revealing a flask under her coat winking her eyes to get her message across.

“Look Gina I would love too but I have work tonight, sorry I have to go but have fun this weekend and I’ll see you on Monday” Rachel said running to her bus waving goodbye to Gina who returned the favour smiling but a little disappointed that Rachel could not make it.

As she got to the diner she went to the back to put her uniform on and started to serve the guests that were walking through the doors. It was a Friday night so it was busier then usual but that was to be expected as it was the 5pm dinner rush hour.

As she walked up to a table with their meatloaf and steak dinner smiling “Enjoy the food folks” before taking orders at the other tables around them and time moved quickly. As she was bringing the other tables their drinks the folks from the first table started snapping their fingers and pointing at her to get over there

“Hi, is everything alright are you enjoying the food?” she asked a little tired from the long day being up since 5:30am.

“Well no not really, the steak tastes rubbery and is chewy” the husband said angrily while the wife added in a snobbish voice “the meatloaf is dry and is too crumbly not to mention your rotten attitude, smile for us customers” while their kids started screaming and fighting

“I am so sorry, is there anything I can do to make this right?” she asked getting wearier from the screaming and belittlement from the guests

“Well I want a free meal and desert, I come to this restaurant every week and mostly it’s good but tonight is unacceptable. Waiting for 45 minutes for our food is unacceptable too!” he hollered raising his voice getting the attention of the surrounding tables.

Rachel feeling defeated smiled and honoured his request apologizing like she was trained to do “I am sorry that you this experience, your meal will be comped, and you get free desert we value our guests at this establishment and hope you will visit us again” she said following the diner’s policy. As she brought the food back into the kitchen her manager Pete asked while staring at the plate of food

“Rachel why is that food half eaten?” he said in a stern voice sounding pissed off, it was the manager/co-owner who was not Gunther. His name was Pete

“Well the guests said it was too rubbery and chewy and dry” she said putting the plate down forcefully after throwing out the food. Letting some of her pent-up anger, frustration and exhaustion from the terrible day out.

“Well Rachel for fucks sake you can’t make any good food can you!?!” he snapped at her taking his anger out on her “Work faster goddammit and that food cost is coming out of your paycheck!” he slammed his fist down pacing the room. The chef started laughing finding it amusing what was going on while Rose the other waitress for the night quietly went out with a tray of food.

Rachel’s hands were shaking in anger and her mind was numb from exhaustion.  Taking all of her energy not to yell back she finally said “Sorry Pete” humiliated and defeated once again in a sad tone knowing that she had to deescalate the situation

“Yeah you better be sorry Rachel, now get back out there the foods not going to serve itself, also your staying an extra 2 hours since I promised Rose she could leave early. Unpaid Green you understand you’re the manager as well, so you know the rules” he snickered putting on his coat and handing Rachel the keys before leaving for the night. Pete liked to abuse the rules as co-owner when Gunther was not around

The rest of the night was a blur as Rachel felt like she had run herself empty and swept off her feet running around serving all the tables after Rose left using up every spare ounce of her energy not even getting a break since 6pm. She finally locked the restaurant closed at 10pm as the chef left she started cleaning up. After she cleaned up it was 10:30pm before she got a page on her pager from Ross.

 _Where are you, picked up the kids from Phoebe’s and Mikes_ it read

 _Still at the diner, will be home around midnight_ she responded before sitting down on the clean chair and crying her eyes out for a few minutes. It had been an awful day and she had taken plenty of emotional beating. Her legs ached in pain and her stomach growled for food as the only thing she ate since lunch as some French fries on her 15-minute break. On her way home, she got McDonalds’ with the employee teasing her “You look like you work here ma’am” from the smell of fries

As she opened the apartment door still in her uniform stinking of fryer grease and sweat still clung to her forehead she finally allowed her self to smile at Ross.

“Rachel you look, um rather ravishing tonight” he teased giving her a hug while wearing his dinosaur pajamas, his reading bifocals pressing against her neck by accident  

“Thanks Ross appreciate it, you’re a very easy gentleman to please, I got to go to bed I know you wanted to have some wine, but I am done and exhausted for the day maybe tomorrow night since it’s Saturday” she laughed for the first time that day before yawning. She dragged herself to bed before collapsing in the bed falling asleep still wearing her uniform drenched in oily grease the trials of the day had taken their toll and she had given it her all  

Ross walked into the bedroom smiling at his wife who looked peacefully asleep, realizing that she had given 110% that day he let her sleep. He slowly moved her to a comfortable position on the bed and tucked her in kissing her oily forehead goodnight before turning off the light and heading to bed himself and telling himself that he would get the kids if they became unsettled during the night.

As Rachel dreamed about her life she had come to the realization that she was running herself to the bone to get her fashion design degree. For her it seemed like the love and support of her friends, Ross and the kids were the only things that were holding her together.  But her life was going to change for the better very soon

 

 


	7. Chapter 7

**_ 5 months into the future _ **

It had been another long day for Rachel, but she was getting excited as she was approaching the end of her first year of Fashion Design School. As the last lecture for the spring semester her Professor pulled her aside for a chat over a cup of coffee

“I always loved hazelnut expresso” he said sipping the cup a little bit at a time to get the “the full experience and studies show that when you drink coffee slower the caffeine kick lasts for a longer time” this professor was always an eccentric one that was for sure

“I never knew that, that’s an interesting perspective” she said trying to upkeep the conversation. “What is that you wanted to talk to me about?” she asked trying to get to the reason that she was here

“Well I first wanted to say that your fashion design drawings were amazing I was quite impressed by them. I have a friend named Todd that owns an upstart fashion design shop right here in NYC it is actually a couple of blocks from the school and is looking for some interns? Would you be interested in being an intern for just the summer?” he asked starring puzzledly at her trying to gauge her reaction

Rachel could barely contain her excitement “Yes I would love to it.” She said smiling as this is the big break that she had been waiting for.  As the meeting concluded Rachel firmly shook the professors hand

“No problem Rachel, you are my top student in my class and this would be a great opportunity. Have a good day and good luck on final exams” he returned the firm handshake before walking down the street still sipping his coffee.

Rachel pulled out her mobile phone and called Ross, but he did not pick up, so she left a message that she had some exciting news. Monica and Chandler, Phoebe and Mike were coming over for dinner, so she would tell them tonight. She always looked forward to the monthly group dinners it was a great way to catch up with everyone.  The next person that she decided to call was Gina who picked up

“Hey Rachel, how’s it going? Sorry for the loud noise in the background my cat is fighting with my other cat on the couch” as the cats her hissing and purring in the background.

“It’s going great, I just had lunch with Professor Harper from our economics of fashion design class and guess what? He had a connection and I am doing a summer internship for a small upstart fashion design company” she said joy filling her voice and she did a jump in the air to let out her excitement causing some glares and confused looks from fellow passengers around the café.

“That’s great Rachel congratulations. Speaking of summer maybe you could take a weekend off and I can invite you to my family’s summer cottage in the Finger Lakes? You could bring Ross and the kids it is baby friendly the shore is shallow. What do you think?” she asked grabbing a Sharpie to mark her calendar

Rachel thought about it for a second and quickly agreed “Yeah that would be fun, besides me and Ross have not been on a vacation since our honeymoon in Miami. Thanks Gina, just getting on the subway now so I will probably lose connection. Anyway, let me know if you want to study for exams, have some goodnight and thanks again” Rachel said running trying to catch the next train

“No problem Rach your always welcome, have a goodnight. I got to get these cats in order” she said before hanging up

As Rachel went into down into the subway tunnel she lost mobile connection. As she arrived at her stop and got off and walked up the platform she checked her mobile and saw a couple of voicemails from Ross. Worried she got to their apartment as quickly as possible

As she entered the apartment she saw Ross and the kids on the floor with their playmat spread out. Puzzled she asked Ross

“Why did you leave so many voicemails?” she asked quickly adding “Sorry I didn’t respond no connection on the subway”

“Sorry Rachel hope I didn’t worry you, it is important news though. Watch, Patricia and Paul come see dad” he said waving at them with one hand and shaking a rattler in his other hand. The kids got up and started walking! Their FIRST steps. Rachel ran over and got the video recorder and filmed the entire moment

Rachel started clapping in excitement and jumping up and down in excitement in an almost raging maniac way. Ross gave her a look and she giggled “Ross sorry I am just so excited” as she ran up to her kids and gave them a kiss on the cheek each

As Ross put the kids back in their chairs putting Teletubbies on he walked up to Rachel picked her up and spun her around romantically like in the movies giving a kiss at the end as they were both smiling at each other. It was an exciting milestone for the two, but it was interrupted by Ross checking the clock

“Gosh it’s already 4 and the guests will be here soon, we better start cooking” he said grabbing his apron and getting the pots and pans out. Rachel started getting the ingredients out such as parsley, pesto, asparagus and potato’s.  They were having basil chicken in a pesto sauce with a side of asparagus and mashed potato’s.

As they started making the food it turned out to be an interesting endeavour, but it would all turn out okay in the end

“Rachel you put just a little too much pesto sauce on the chicken but that’s okay I will just add a little red wine to the sauce in order to make it less of a strong taste. Besides wine is always tasty.” Ross said pouring it over the chicken before cutting it into meal portions.

The doorbell rang and the first ones to arrive were Chandler and Monica who brought some deserts, which consisted of salted caramel filling with chocolate on top squares with an oatmeal crust.

“Thanks Monica those look like delicious little morsels, take a seat in the dining table I’ll be right back!” Rachel said giving Monica a hug and Chandler a wave as he returned the favour. She took the squares and put them in the fridge.

As she got back from the kitchen where Ross was putting the finishing touches on the dinner Phoebe and Mike walked through the open door

“You didn’t bother to knock, just be thankful that you were not at Monica’s apartment or there would have been a price to pay” Chandler teased as Monica rolled her eyes and playfully punched him in the shoulder. “Ow!” Chandler said playing along

“Sorry if we are not traditional like you folks” Phoebe chimed in using air quotes around the word traditional. It was not surprising for her to say that as she was the type that usually went against the grain. It was all in good jest and sprit though as they were good enough friends that they understood the ribbing was just jokes. Mike set down a couple of packs of beers while Phoebe had a caser salad

“It’s my grandmothers homemade recipe passed down from generations, so I hope you like it” she said mixing the greens in with the croutons and dressing.  

As they sat down Rachel poured them some wine and Ross brought in the food and started handing out the plates going back and forth to the kitchen to make sure that everyone got their meal.  

As Rachel was feeding the kids in their highchairs saying “Here comes the airplane” trying entertaining and also get the food in their mouths Monica decided to help out.

“Oh, Mon you don’t have to but thanks I appreciate it, it’s nice having two sets of hands when there are two mouths to feed. One is always making a mess while the other is eating and vice versa” she laughed looking at Ross who was nodding his head in agreement “It’s like whack a mole but in a good way, you can never get mad at the kids” he added on with a happy gaze

“So, what’s new with everyone?” Mike said trying to kickstart the conversation. He was still getting acquainted with everyone in the friend group, so he decided to start the talking early.  

“Well I have become head chef and partner at Demario’s Italian eatery, I am going to change the menu for the better. One example is using actual fresh tomatoes from local farmers markets instead of canned tomatoes in the sauces! It will be delicious” Monica said motioning her hands animating the cutting the imaginary tomatoes as she put another scoop of mushed carrots into Patricia’s mouth

 Chandler was always amused and happy when Monica got excited and animate about the things that she was passionate about “I got department head in the business analytics department, hey it’s no head chef cooking amazing food, but it does come with a pay raise and bonus. We are using that to go on a vacation to Greece in the new year.” Chandler said giving a nod of his head towards Monica who smiled at him. He always knew how to make her cheerful

“Well me and Mike are starting a business idea as well. We are opening up a piano bar where guests can come in and have a drink while listening to a piano in the background. I will be playing once in a while as well as being a bartender” Phoebe added “It’s so much better then massage gross sweaty peoples backs!”

“It’s pretty much a bar with music” Mike added getting to the point laughing as Phoebe giggled at him, they were both excited to start the new chapter in their lives with this bar being the catalyst

“Well I am doing good also” Ross said “The semester is ending but they told me I am good to go for next semester in terms of courses. I get to choose my own courses which is exciting as well. No more marking papers that I am not interested in.  Also, Rachel has two pieces of exciting news!” he said emphasising two and holding two fingers up.

Everyone’s attention turned towards Rachel who ended up dropping some mushed carrots on her lap causing a burst of laughter. This ended up causing Rachel to blush as she wiped it off with a napkin

“Well me dropping the carrots on my lap is not one of them” she said trying to bring some sense of humor into the conversation

“Well I would hope not, I am sure there is a epidemic of moms dropping their kids food on their own laps. Riveting news say 20 years ago! At least they did not throw up” Chandler couldn’t resist in making a joke

“Chandler!” Monica whispered to him trying to make him feel guilty but not arouse too much attention

“Anyway, the two things of exciting news are #1: The kids are walking! I’ll show you proof after dinner and #2 I got an internship at a upstart fashion shop as an intern. I guess I will find out what I am doing when I start but I am really looking forward to it” she said getting emotional in a happy way “It’s sounds like a great opportunity, but I am going to keep working at the diner as well”

“I guess education is a good thing after all” Phoebe said adding in quirky voice caused some confused looks around the table, but they didn’t bother the probe further by what she meant especially Ross who an educator was. Best to keep the peace and not have another silly argument with Phoebe like the one about evolution he had with her a few months ago.  

Mike trying to relieve the tension and with some alcohol in him “Did you see that ludicrous display last night by the rangers, they only got 2 touchdowns versus the bruins who had 3” he said not knowing much about hockey or sports in general but knew that Chandler and Ross loved hockey, so he was trying to fit in

“Well first Mike its pronounced goals not touchdowns that’s football but I agree it was ludicrous. The only reason that the bruins won is because the rangers defenseman let it in his own net!” Chandler complained getting angry about what he witnessed on TV the other night and taking it out on the potato’s which he drenched in gravy.

Monica grabbing his hand to put the gravy cup down in order to stop the gravy from overflowing and pouring over onto the table. “Sorry Mike, Chandler gets worked up about his beloved rangers. But you had it coming with saying touchdowns instead of goals”

As they finished their meals they decided to go to the living room and turn on the basketball game the Knicks versus the Celtics. They kept the sound down low as Ross got back from putting the kids to bed and Rachel brought in a salsa dip

“I actually know more about basketball, there is 3 points if he is behind the shooting line and 2 if he is in front.” Mike added trying to make up for his earlier discretion

“Mike it’s no problem, I wasn’t mad at you just mad at the rangers defenseman. Besides I know your not the biggest sports fanatic like me and ross here, but we appreciate the effort you are making to connect with us” Chandler said sincerely trying to make sure that his message got across.

“It’s true Mike. Sports turns me and Chandler from grown ass adults into whinging screaming crazed animals. We take them a little too seriously sometimes” Ross added in passing the chips to Mike

“Well it sounds like everyone is getting along well in their personal and professional lives” Monica said before being interrupted by Chandler and Ross yelling and pointing at the TV in unison

“THAT” S A FOUL!” as the play on the TV screen continued

 “Hey, they are just proving their point” Rachel said laughing as Ross and Chandler were munching on some salsa and chips

“Rachel, I have to say this evenings meal have been a lot better, you and Ross have really picked up your game food wise. The chicken was amazing, and the pesto sauce was not too overpowering. The salsa is amazing too with a kick of spice but not overwhelming” Monica said praising her brother and his wife

“See Mike sports is not the only conversation we have here so don’t worry about fitting in” Monica added trying to make everyone feel included

“Chandler, I have always wanted kids and was wondering how many you would like. Personally, I was thinking 3 or 4. 4 would be ideal with 2 boys and 2 girls so that they could both do activities together” Monica added changing the topic

“Monica we are not even married yet and you are talking about having kids and raising a family” Chandler said his voice wavering. He always got a little nervous at how quickly Monica was moving things. He reached to grab his cigarettes, but they were not there as he had quit smoking some years prior “It’s times like these I regret quitting smoking, but I do love Monica and if that makes her happy it makes me happy” he sighed though as the Knicks gave up more points before smiling at his wife

“Chandler we are proud that you quit smoking. It is going to add years to your life and that is one thing that me and Ross can agree on” Phoebe said giving the thumbs up to both Ross and Chandler

As the night worn on to a close the Knicks ended up losing 83-100 everyone agreed that they had enjoyed the evening and were looking forward to meeting up again next month as everyone left and said their goodbyes Ross and Rachel started doing the dishes

“Hey Rachel, A guy named Todd left you a voicemail with an address and asked if you could start working tomorrow around 9am?” he said notifying Rachel

“Thanks for letting me know Ross, I think it is getting too late to call” she said putting a pan down looking at the time that read 11:30pm.

“You know what would be really impressive? If you just showed up tomorrow without responding to the voice message. It will show that you are excited and ready to start with the company.” Ross said nodding his head trying to get Rachel to agree to his advice

“Yeah that would be a good idea, well I better get finished cleaning and start getting ready for bed. At least 9am is not too early” she said heading to the bedroom

“Why don’t you head to bed, you got a big day tomorrow and I will finish up with the dishes. Your going to rock it tomorrow” Ross said kissing her and giving her a high five as she smiled while waving goodnight.

She always liked when Ross was supportive like this it gave her a sense of confidence and boosted self-esteem and morale. She felt like she could take on the world and any challenges that it brought. They made a great team together and she was excited at what  the future was going to hold for her and her growing family.


	8. Chapter 8

**_ The next morning  _ **

She woke up again excited to start the new day at her new job. It was a fresh opportunity for her and she was excited to see what would be happening at her new job. She got dressed up and brought her change of clothes for her short restaurant shift after. Gunther was the manager, so she knew that she would get out on time. As she woke up she remembered that Ross was wrapping up his semester also.

As she walked into the kitchen the warm smell of bacon and eggs filled the room and made her stomach grumble. She got a laugh when she saw Ross still in his pajamas with his Dinosaur T-shirt and his dolphin PJ bottoms. She got him the PJ bottoms for Christmas, so she was happy that he still liked them and was wearing them.

“Hey Rach, good morning. I didn’t get a good sleep last night due to having our friends over for some reason I was still excited and could not settle down. Anyway at least that’s over with” he said his back turned to Rachel as he was focusing on not burning the bacon. As Rachel sat down and started reading the paper he turned around and tried not to stare.

“Rachel you look amazing. Here’s your coffee and breakfast for the lovely lady.” He teased as he brought the breakfast over and put it on Rachel’s plate giving her a hug and a kiss on the forehead.

“Thanks Ross you sure know how to butter me up” Rachel said digging in craving the food she quickly polished off her plate

“I am glad you liked my breakfast, you have barely said a word all morning. It’s a good thing though that you are going on a full stomach. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day they say. Anything interesting in the paper?” he asked

“Not really, just that Joey’s favourite sandwich shop is closing down and that it is supposed to be sunny. Poor Joey is going to be so disappointed” she sighed knowing how much Joey loved his food and especially Italian food.

“That’s too bad” Ross agreed. “I am staying home today so I can take care of the kids. It’s always nice to have mornings like this were we can just talk and socialize while the kids are still sleeping. With summer around the corner it will be great to have some more time to spend as a family.”

“Yeah Ross I agree, gosh its been so hectic the last 8-10 months. I might be home a little later tonight as I picked up a shift at the diner but since Gunther’s there tonight he will make sure that I am out on time.” She said smiling. Gunther may have tried to hit on her, but he was at least respectful when she declined, and she counted him as a good friend who was kind and caring.   

“Hey Rach, I was just wondering if you were thinking of only having one job. I think two jobs is probably going to take it’s toll especially when fall starts again and we are both working again. Would you think about just taking one job? Leave the diner?” he asked trying not to have too much pressure.

He did not want to dictate what she could or couldn’t do but he worried about her. She had a busy schedule and with kids he wanted them to have quality family time.

“I have to think about it Ross. I agree that it would probably be best if I only have one job, but I have been working at the diner since I was 18 and it will be hard to go. I will see how today goes in terms of if the job is more full time or part time. I was thinking if it is more full time then I will quit the diner, but I’ll wait and see. She said happy to see that Ross cared about her so much and to have a mature conversation and start thinking about her prospects. Sure, she had made lots of friends at the diner, but she was excited to move on and grow as a person and career wise as well.

“Ross sweetie thanks so much for taking care of the kids today, I appreciate it. I best get going though I don’t want to be late on my fist day, you know how the subway system can be. If you’re not early you’re late is the saying. Anyway, I love you Ross and have a good day.” Rachel said after brushing her teeth and grabbing her purse and jacket. She gave Ross a smile and a wave as she headed out the door as he turned the favour taking a break from doing the dishes

The journey was actually not bad that morning and the subway was not too busy either as it was a Friday, so most people probably had taken the day off. Her subway ride only took 40 minutes like it was supposed to. On some days it could take up to 2 hours, so she was happy it had worked and out. Helping ease some of the nervousness she had been experiencing. As she walked into the office building and found the office that she was supposed to go to.

The nameplate on the door read _Todd_ / _Ray Daniels Fashion Design Co._ She guessed it was named after the founders. She was a bit puzzled because the professor only mentioned Todd by name. She doubled checked to make sure that she had the right address before walking in.  The professor really meant it was a start up as the room only had a couple of tables that had phones with a small reception and a couple small offices to the side for managers.

“Hi, you must be Rachel Green? I am Leslie the receptionist here. Welcome to the team if you like have a seat and Mr. Daniels will be here in a couple of moments” she said in a cheerful voice full of optimism and care.

“It’s nice to meet you Leslie, how long have you been working here?” she asked trying to strike up a conversation

“Oh, I have actually only been here since the start of the year, that’s when the business started up actually. But it’s been a great time the owners Todd and Ray are amazing” she smiled sensing Rachel was a little nervous and trying to ease the nerves for her.

A few moments later a man walked out of an office wearing a blue cashmere suit with matching blue pants and a tapered comb over hair cut. He walked over to Rachel and introduced himself

“You must be Rachel Green? It’s so nice to meet you my name is Ray Daniels.” He said offering his hand which Rachel accepted

“Nice to meet you Ray, I am looking forward to getting started” she smiled. Stop smiling too much or you look like you are forcing it she told herself blushing and stopping after

Ray also sensing her nerves didn’t make mention of it and continued like he was going to “Why don’t we take a small tour. After all there is not too much to see here” he joked. He reminded Rachel a little bit like Chandler for some reason.

As they made there way around the small offices checking out the rooms and her work desk and computer which was at one of the tables in the area behind the reception desk. Rachel noticed that there were not many desks so it must be a really small company.

As the tour concluded and Rachel got set up with a work login, email and pager she put in stuff in her locker and walked into the office to meet Ray for a quick orientation. When she entered the room, she noticed a couple of other employees she had not met yet.

“Hi, you must be Rachel? My name is Ann and I am the other student design intern for the summer. I go to Columbia. Nice to meet you” she said smiling and waving which Rachel responded to in kind. Before Rachel had a chance to say more Ray entered the room to begin orientation.

“You two souls were bravely selected among the 10s of recommendations that we got from close friends and acquaintances that me and my brother Daniel know. First I would like to start off with a little background about myself” he said in a chipper tone. He clearly had the go go go attitude and was focused

“Me and Daniel always had a passion for fashion and the arts in general. We were both working at separate bank jobs that we despised and we both knew that we needed to leave the corporate world to pursue our passion of fashion design. I would love to get to know you two and we will do so over lunch but for now we will stick to the task at hand. We decided to start our business just this year in January, so it has not been that long, and it’s been a learning curve I tell ya. You are probably wondering what we do and what your roles will be?” he paused taking a sip of his coffee.

“As summer interns in the fashion design department and the only two people in the department you are tasked with designing and selling your fashion products to our clients. You will also be assigned any other miscellaneous tasks around the office. As we are a small crew of only 5 of us we all have to pitch in. Ann and Rachel your first project should you chose to accept it is designing school uniforms for some local NYC schools.” He said abruptly ending the orientation with one final task “I would like to have it done for next Friday, so one week to come up with a design. After that you will try and sell it to the board of education. That will be all and have a good morning, I will see you at lunch.” He said before walking back to his office.

Rachel and Ann walked back to their respective desks and started working on some design drawings together.

“What are you comfortable with?” Ann asked

“I like drawing and doing the sketches of the different colours of the materials to use but not sure what materials should be used if that makes sense” she laughed trying to lighten the mood

“Yeah that actually works out great, I like doing background research, I like choosing and making the materials that are going to be used for the products, so we should be a good complimentary team” she said picking out fabrics already that she liked writing down the information such as skew number, etc. She also had some information about the school district pulled up on her word document already. Rachel was impressed by her work ethic.

As the morning powered on it was lunch time before they knew it. The office seemed to shut down for the hour lunch which was good as it gave everyone a chance to get to know each other.

“So, Ann tell me a little bit about yourself, where did you grow up? Any hobby’s, etc.?” Ray asked as he eat his leftover pasta salad.

“Well I actually grew up in Wisconsin in Green Bay and am 21 years old. That’s why I will always be a Packers fan for life sorry to any giants or jets fans in the room. I have 3 brothers. I moved to New York to go to Columbia for fashions design. My hobbies include watching sports, baking, reading, drawing and also watching daytime TV. I am a sucker for Oprah for example” she said digging into her Cesar salad

“Wow and I thought having two sisters could be annoying, I can’t imagine having 3 brothers” Rachel said in amazement. “How did you get through it?” as more of a joke. Rachel was eating a burger with Greek salad on the side

“Well the library and sports helped break up the time we spent together but to be honest my brothers are great guys. We all truly look out for each other. They protect me and are super defensive, for example with my boyfriend Sebastian who is from Canada they make sure he is not giving me too much maple syrup. My older brother Manny is a dentist, so he is on my case about that” she laughed thinking it was a little absorbed, but they meant well.

 “How about you Rachel? Tell us a little bit about yourself” Leslie said. She was eating leftover chicken and rice with broccoli and carrots on the side. The mix of food in the room made everyone extra engaged as they were refueling after a long morning.

“Well I was born on long island but then moved to NYC around 8 years ago after I finished high school. I am 26 years old. I work as a waitress at a diner on the upper west side but finally decided to pursue my passion as well of fashion design, so I enrolled at the fashion design school of NYC. Some hobbies I like are shopping, running and watching sports but for sports it’s more so because I have to since my husband is watching it although I am starting to catch on. On that note I am married, and his name is Ross. I also have 2 one-year old twins named Paul and Patricia.” Rachel said pulling out some pictures from her wallet of her husband and 2 kids.   

There were “aw’s and cute” heard around the room as everyone was captivated by her children

“Girl you got some great kids” Leslie said giving Rachel a thumb up to show her approval.

“Well it looks like lunch is just about over, nice talking and getting to know you all more” Ray said as everyone went back to their respective workstations

As the day drew to a close everyone started packing their things and wishing each other a happy weekend. There were lots of things to do on Monday, so it would be best if everyone took it easy this weekend Ray told everyone.

As Rachel went from one job to another she remembered to call Ross to tell her how it went before she started up at the restaurant.

“Hey sweetie how did today go? Here at home the kids sure have been a handful. Lots of drawing but maybe in too many places. They were drawing with markers on the dishwasher but fortunately it washed off.” Ross laughed trying to play off the last part that he said. Knowing that Rachel would not be pleased if it didn’t wash off

“It was great, I get to help design school uniforms which is really interesting. All the co-workers are really nice and outgoing. They made it nice and easy to fit in. Just at the diner now, glad everything is under control at home. See you later” she said feeling relieved and letting go of the stress that she had trying to keep up appearances as well as first day jitters as she hung up the phone

“Hi Rachel, you look great in that outfit, you sure do have the greatest smile” Gunther said as Rachel walked through the door

She had learned to ignore Gunther’s advances/flirtations and just quickly said a hello as she walked by towards the back to put her uniform on. The shift went surprisingly quick but that was to be expected as it was a Friday night rush. As Rachel walked through her apartment door she sat herself down on the couch dropping her purse beside her. Her legs ached, and her back was sore but at least it was Friday.

 Ross sensing that Rachel was in some discomfort brought her a heating pad for her back and a nice cold glass of water. He was still in his PJ’s which Rachel found amusing

“Long day was it?” Ross asked before quickly adding “The kids are in bed all tucked in.” reassuring her that he could hold the fort down

“Yeah it was a great and rewarding day for sure. Just was busy at the diner since it was a Friday and the first day at a new job. It’s just been a draining day physically and mentally, but it was worth it struggling to get the words out to save her energy.” She said before telling Ross about all her new internship as the news played on in the background.

“Wow Rach that sounds great. I think your going to like the birthday gift I got you. Can I see some of your drawings?” he asked

“Sure, maybe tomorrow before the party just really tired right now so I am going to head to bed” she said kissing him on the cheek “goodnight Ross” she said as she walked to the bedroom. She had remembered it was her birthday tomorrow but had forgotten about the party until just now.

**_ The next morning  _ **

Rachel woke up excited to start a new day excited that it was her birthday, 27 years old already time sure had gone by quickly. She was going to stay in her pink bunny PJ’s for as long as possible this morning. She was excited to see what Ross had planned for her party that day. The weather was perfect a nice sunny crisp day.  While eating breakfast that Ross had prepared for her which was her favourite eggs benedict with extra hollandaise sauce.

“Ross this is delicious, you got the cooking side of the family that Monica got as well.” She said as she took another bite the yoke breaking and started running down her chin. Ross laughed and got a napkin and wiped her chin.

“It’s bad enough that I have to feed the kids and clean up after them but now you too, I’ll give you a pass since it’s your birthday Green since you complimented by cooking.” Ross remarked adding in the last part to let Rachel know he was only kidding.   

“Don’t tell Monica but I like you cooking better” she said putting her finger over her lips in a hushing motion

“I won’t she would probably be devastated if she found out for sure but I didn’t hear anything” Ross said after looking around pretending that he did not hear

As they finished up the breakfast Ross instructed Rachel to wear some casual clothes as he got the kids dress wearing overalls and matching outfits. Rachel decided to wear her fashion design school hoodie, with blue jeans and running shoes.

As she walked back into the kitchen Ross smiled and said “Perfect, now we better get going or else we are going to be late for your party” grabbing his coat and the kids in their stroller to catch the subway. Rachel followed him sensing the urgency.

The subway ride was pleasant and peaceful as they saw the trees were starting to grow their leaves back. Spring was always Rachel’s favourite season as it brought renewal and the weather was always just right.

She followed Ross off the subway until she got to a public park with a cabana where the table was set with a barbecue.

“Rachel this is your surprise party, I invited all of our closest friends. You know Chandler, Monica. Mike, Phoebe and even Joey is coming too as it’s a Saturday, so he has the day off. Monica’s bringing lasagna with wine for the ladies while us guys are having hamburgers and hot dogs with beer. Don’t worry though I got a special permit with the city to have alcohol allowed for the afternoon. Also brought some water and lunch for the kids which looks like this” he said holding out a jar of what looked like mushed carrots.

“Their favourite, I imagine they will not like vegetables this much when they are older, so we should enjoy it while it lasts” Rachel laughed. At that moment Monica and Chandler arrived. Monica was holding a nice big tray of lasagna while Chandler was carrying a box in what presumed to be Rachels present.

“Happy Birthday Rachel!” they both shouted out. Ross took the gift from Chandler and put it with the other gifts in the corner that he had collected from family over the past couple of days.

“it has been ages since we last saw you two, long time no see?” Chandler joked before Monica cut him off

“Chandler it’s been what? Two days?” she said, she liked being the realist and with Chandlers cynicism and humor they were a good combination. But it was all in good fun

As the kids played in the sandbox they were having fun as Ross started cooking the burgers. Rachel noticed that Monica and Chandler seemed to have both a little extra hop in their steps as well as a sparkle in their eyes. Something was going on between those two for sure.

The next to arrive were Phoebe and Mike. Mike was wearing a ranger’s jersey to show off his team spirit. They were giggling as they walked up to the rest of the group

“What’s so funny?” Chandler asked

“Well you see we were talking about our pet rats Hermit and Chester. This morning they made a mess, but they had the most adorable faces, so we couldn’t stay mad at them. They are more behaved then your one time pet monkey Marcel at least” Phoebe said in between giggles always glad to get a chance to tease Ross.

“You had to be there” Mike added. Sure, he admitted having pet rats was a little strange, but it made Phoebe happy and as long as she was happy he was happy.

The last to arrive was Joey who was sporting a girl with him. Everyone tried to hide their shock at seeing Joey with a girl that he had not told anyone about. He was usually the one to gab his mouth off about any women he met.

“Hey guys? How you doin?” he said pointing at the group before quickly adding on “Sorry being a little rude. This is my girlfriend Jane, Jane these are my friends Ross, Rachel. Chandler, Monica, Phoebe and Mike.” Pointing at them one by one.

“Also, Ross is married to Rachel and they have those two cute ones over there. Monica and Chandler are dating, and Mike and Phoebe are dating also. Plus, it’s Rachels birthday.” he said trying to catch Jane up to speed with everything.

“Ok Joey, I think I got it although I do apologize in advanced if I get anyone’s names mixed up. It’s nice to meet you all and happy birthday Rachel” Jane said smiling. She was happy with Joey and it looked like his friends were really nice too

“So, Jane sorry for the rapid-fire questions but do you prefer lasagna or hamburgers?” Ross said flipping a burger on the grill

“I’ll have a burger, but I think Joey is eying the lasagna over there” she laughed as Joey looked like he was lost in a trance staring at the lasagna in the corner of the table.  

“So, Jane what line of work are you in?” Chandler asked. He knew that everyone had no clue what he did, so he thought it would be an interesting way to start off the conversation

“I am a photographer for the local newspaper. Other things I enjoy are food, volleyball and knitting” she said. At the mention of that Ross’s face lit up but he tried to make sure that Rachel did not see him. He didn’t want to ruin the surprise of the gift that he got her.  But happy that she would have a partner to do the activity with

“Joey, I think you got a winner” Chandler teased slapping Joey in a friendly manner on the back

“That’s great Jane, we can continue talking once we start eating as the food is done” Ross said giving everyone a paper plate. They all dug into the food and before they knew it the cake was brought out. Once they finished the cake and did some more talking to let their food digest they noticed that Mike had brought a soccer ball and there was a soccer field over in the corner.

“Hey Mike, I saw you have the soccer ball, who wants to go play a game. We can do the guys versus the ladies?” Joey said

“Sure, that would be fun, who is going to watch the kids though?” Mike asked looking around. It seemed though just on cue Jack and Judy Geller arrived

“Happy birthday Rachel!” Jack said giving her a gift of a food processor that was unwrapped. Judy rolled her eyes

“Jack first you were supposed to wrap the gift and second you wait until it’s present time. Anyway, happy birthday darling and hope you like the processor. It will make you life easier with the kids” she smiled giving Rachel a hug while Jack gave her a handshake trying to hide his embarrassment

“It’s okay Jack. Thank you for the present” Rachel said trying to ease Jack’s discomfort with the situation

“Hey mom and dad we are just going to go play a soccer game, could you watch the kids?” Ross asked as everyone was already tying up their shoelaces in preparation for the game.

The game was fierce and intense. Especially with Monica and Ross on separate teams. They were always super competitive and with a chance to show it they took full advantage. The game lasted about an hour and a half as both teams battled it out for score. The final score was 2-1 for the ladies as Rachel passed it to Jane who ended up scoring on Joey who may have let it in on purpose. As the sweat drenched players shook hands and congratulated each other on a good game. It was time to go home as the park was closing for the evening but before they did Rachel opened up the rest of her presents.

She got a gift basket from Chandler and Monica that contained a gift card to Demarios, a bubble bath set and a cooking class workshop. From Joey she got a scrapbook and some tickets to see Bruce Springsteen with Ross. The boss was one of her favourite musicians. From Phoebe and Mike, she got a massage/spa day in the city getaway package as well as a hockey mom sweater. Lastly from Ross she got a sewing machine and fabric kit as well as a romantic dinner/magic show certificate.

“Thanks guys, all the presents are amazing, and I could not have dreamed of a better birthday” she blushed trying to hold back tears of happiness as everyone smiled. As the park was closing everyone said their goodbyes and went their own separate ways back home

As Ross and Rachel got back to their apartment. Ross put the kids to bed while Rachel got her nightgown on and went to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water. As Ross walked into the kitchen she smiled at him

“That was a great birthday party Ross. Thanks so much I really appreciate it” she said blushing unable to control her emotions after a long day

“No problem Rachel. I am glad you liked it. It took a lot of planning and time, so I am glad it all worked out” he said as the phone started ringing. Confused as it was late at night Ross picked up the phone. A look of happiness spread across his face as he hung up the phone

“Rachel, Monica and Chandler are engaged and in Monica style they have already picked the venue. They are having a destination wedding in Greece!”

“Wow Ross that’s so amazing! I should be fun.” She said genuinely feeling happy for the two.

“Speaking of fun let’s have some fun tonight!” Ross said sweeping Rachel off her feet and carrying her to the bedroom as her giggles and laughter could be heard as they made their way down the hallway to the bedroom.  

**A/N: I hope you are liking the story and thanks to everyone for reading! The next chapter is going to be Monica and Chandler’s wedding! I might not be updating as much due to exams coming up but I will try my best!**


	9. Monica And Chandler's Wedding

**_ 8 Months later- May 1999 _ **

As the plane touched down Rachel felt a hand nudging her awake. As she woke up a little dazed her head was facing the window and it was a bright sunny day in Athens which showed the sea sparkling as the sun was in full force.

“Hey Rachel, sleepy head how’s it going? You were asleep for the past few hours. In that time, I was able to watch a movie staring Tom Cruise called Mission Impossible it was action packed. Speaking of movies Star Wars, the Phantom Menace is coming out soon I am so excited especially with George Lucas brilliance directing and we get to learn about Darth Vader is” he said getting excited at the thought

Rachel sort of had a idea of who George Lucas and Darth Vader were from listening to the conversations that the guys had smiled and went along with it “Yeah it should be exciting” she said hoping that it would pass as it was all the knowledge she had plus the jet lag didn’t help.

“It is going to be amazing and there is new technology called CGI which will enhance the experience even more.” He said stopping the conversation as the plane hit the tarmac bouncing a few times before the brakes really hit in and the plane gradually entered the tarmac.  Rachel happy that the conversation ended because she was not to interested in the topic but at least it made Ross happy, so it made her happy.

As they got through customs and grabbed their luggage and hailed a taxi they were amazed at the beautiful city that dazzled before their eyes. A taxi pulled up to take them to their hotel. A sign of the times was that the driver spoke English as Greece was becoming more of a tourist mecca.

As they drove through the streets they were amazed at the historical architecture and struck of a conversation with the driver who was proud of his home country and eager to share but he first wanted to be polite

“Where are you folks coming from and what brings you to Greece?” he said as he hit the brakes as traffic was picking up during the evening rush hour.

“We are here for our friends wedding, we are from New York City.” Ross said

“That’s nice, lots of people here are having weddings lately”

“Not surprising considering the beautiful views. What’s that building over there?” Rachel asked moving her sunglasses up looking at the construction cranes that sprung up over a field

The taxi driver responded quickly “That building a soccer stadium over there is for the Summer Olympic games that is going to be happening in the Summer of 2004. It is amazing, and I am looking forward to it. It’s all thanks to us joining the Euro and we are going to get the Euro currency soon. It’s been great us joining the Euro we are going to get a tourism boom which helps me. People like you are helping us out” the driver said the pride extruding from his voice

As they pulled up to the hotel Ross and Rachel got out of the cab, the driver who showed great hospitality by taking their bags and bringing them into the hotel. He wished them good well and to have a good time. Ross gave him a generous tip to thank him for the adventure

As they walked into the hotel which was in the historical district of Athens they were amazed at the chandler and beauty of the place.

“Monica and Chandler do have style that’s for sure, well maybe just Monica it has her fingerprints all over this selection of hotel” Ross said knowing his sister liked the art deco style and of course being in the downtown area there was lots of good restaurants to be found

Chandler and Monica were talking to their wedding planner when they saw Rachel and Ross they waved and ended the conversation to walk over to their friends.

“Hey how is it going have a good flight?” Monica asked giving her brother and Rachel a hug welcoming them

“Yeah the flight was good, I actually don’t remember much from the flight though since I was asleep the entire time” Rachel laughed “But I have to admit that you chose the perfect location it’s just amazing” Rachel said “Your getting married here” trying to hold back her excitement for her best friend

“I know it’s amazing, Greece sure has changed a lot since our spring break trip back in 88, lots of construction and stuff. Sprucing up for the Olympics, you’ll have to have your wedding anniversary here” Ross remarked

“Yeah that’s a good point Ross, speaking of which it is totally unsustainable, you see I have done some research about the Greeks are funding all that construction with debt that is well above sustainable levels. Heck their debt to GDP ratio is in the 90% range which is well above the European average debt level to GDP in the 70%. I am shocked that the EU even let them in, must have been some creative accounting or they just straight up lied.” Chandler said in an academic/sophisticated tone proud of himself while Monica rolled her eyes

“Honey don’t be rude to the host nation” she said to Chandler while smiling and waving at their Greek wedding planner “they have been very nice to us and we don’t want to hurt their feelings especially if they are making the food, trust me I know since I run a restaurant. Besides its our wedding let’s enjoy ourselves. Go with Joey and get some lunch at the restaurant, while your there keep and eye out for Phoebe and Mike they should be here soon” she said forcefully making it clear that Chandler did not have a choice.

As they walked away Joey could be heard asking Chandler “GDP what does that stand for? Gross Delivered Pizza. Wouldn’t that be a good thing if they were delivering more pizzas then Europe” he sounded confused.

“Is everything okay with Chandler?” Rachel asked wondering “he seems different?” was the gentlest way Rachel could put it. Ross nodded in agreement with a look of concern feeling bad that they had not been keeping in touch with his sister and Chandler since their wedding announcement as much as they liked, and he felt bad about it

“It’s nothing, I think it is that he stresses about his new job which is a bond analysist/trader for the Europe region at Lehman Brothers there is lots of travel plus you know Chandler he is always afraid of commitment and marriage is a big commitment. I think he needs an outlet to vent about work and that outlet is us.” She smiled weakly trying to convey that it was going to be okay “Anyway let’s go get some lunch and enjoy ourselves, I think once the wedding starts he is going to be fine he is just overthinking everything”

As Monica and Chandler wanted everyone to enjoy themselves they decided to get the wedding done with right away, so it was actually happening the next day. Mike and Phoebe arrived late due to the plane delays caused by the weather in London which was in the midst of a rainstorm and wind. After they had dinner together and enjoyed themselves. They went to their respective “bachelor and bachelorette” parties which consisted of enjoy the night with the lady and guy friends respectively in their hotel suits. The real parties would be after the wedding during the rest of the week immersing themselves with the local attractions, food and culture. The best part is that they could do it with everyone.

“So, Monica do you think that you’re ready to get married and become Mrs. Bing? I know I am exciting for you” Phoebe said in delight as Rachel helped Monica put on her wedding dress

“Thanks for helping me Rachel” Monica said, “Yeah Phoebe I am ready and super excited.” She said while keeping her back to the mirror and keeping her eyes closed because you could never be too sure

As she turned around to face the mirror she was amazed and brought to tears at the sight of herself in her wedding dress. “Happy tears, happy tears” she said while grabbing some tissues “I can’t believe it, I never thought that I would look this good and I am marrying the man of my dreams. This is actually happening” she said pinching herself “I mean when I was a kid I planned what my wedding and so far, it has not even happened yet the actual wedding, and it’s already surpassed my expectations. All those years ago how I could imagine that I would be getting married in Greece of all places”

Both Rachel and Phoebe said in unison “Monica you are looking breathtaking!” they said while giving an agreed upon before group air hug so as to not wrinkle any of their dresses. Before changing, going to the couch, eating popcorn and watching chick flicks to end the night

Meanwhile in the guys suite they were drinking beer and trying on their tuxedos for the day tomorrow

“Chandler are you excited to get married tomorrow, I mean it’s a big adjustment but think about what your life holds ahead. Its going to be the happiest time of your life” Mike said trying to reassure Chandler that he was making the right choice with Ross nodding on in agreement smiling

“You look great Chandler and Monica is one lucky woman to have you as her husband. I would be qualified to say that since I am her brother” Ross said patting Chandler on the back

“Yeah, I am excited I love Monica, but you know how I am about commitment and I don’t want to hurt Monica, is it normal to be afraid a little?” Chandler asked

“Yeah it’s normal” Mike and Ross while Joey stayed silent said not in unison which lead to an awkward silence for a few seconds before Ross stepped in to fill the void

“I mean when I married Rachel I was terrified that I would say the wrong name or something but once I got up there and looked at the love of my life Rachel all of those fears melted away and I lived in the moment. Heck you only get married once or in my case twice but the first one was a lesbian not my fault so anyway what I am trying to say is enjoy it” Ross said sincerely

“Hey, another benefit is that you don’t have to share a kitchen or bathroom with me and instead with a clean person like Monica. I mean we had some great memories such as the Lazy boy all-weekend couch sit watching football, but I was not the most organized in terms of cleanliness” Joey said trying to lighten the mood

“Thanks guys it definitely puts my mind at ease that I am not being irrational about this and what I am experiencing is normal. Let’s enjoy the rest of our night and watch some rangers that I recorded on the PVR” he said taking his tux off and putting on his ranger’s jersey as Ross, Joey and Mike followed.

 They ended up grabbing some beer and chips and settling in the night. There must have been some good luck in the air as the Rangers beat the Maple Leaf’s in an exciting double overtime 3-2 to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals

**_ The next day  _ **

As the sun settled over the sky for the morning the ladies woke up in their suite

“Still a little jet lagged but hey its my best friends wedding so that’s not going to let it bother me one bit” Rachel said proudly as she brought up some breakfast for Monica and Phoebe.

“Thanks Rachel that means a lot” Monica laughed. “Hey, look at the time we better get going the wedding starts at 11am!” she said rushing out of the room in her gown and stealing the breakfast pita right out of Rachel’s hand. While Rachel stood there processing what just happened while Phoebe gently took Rachel out of the room to get her out of her trance/jet lag.

There was a convoy of cars waiting outside each with a driver with a label stating who they were taking. The driver with the bride and bridesmaids sign welcomed them and whisked them away to the banquet hall where the ceremony would happen, after the reception would take place at local park with a view of the city and the sea that had been rented out.

As they arrived at the banquet hall Monica started crying but quickly got herself under control as Rachel and Phoebe were able to calm her down.  The ceremony was about to start, and everyone got seated as it did Monica was walked down the aisle by her father Jack Geller and Chandler was walked down the aisle by his father/mother 2.0 Charles Bing. 

The pastor did his sermon and then it came time for the vows

Monica was prepared as she looked over through the crowd she saw Rachel and Phoebe give her a thumbs up which gave her the encouragement to think clearly and saw the words on the paper.

“Chandler Bing, ever since the day I met you at the Yankees game you have been my obsession and I mean that in a good way. You have show me what it feels to love again, and you treat me better then I deserve. You have always show me you upmost attention and love. I want you by my side as we go through this adventure of life together. You humor, and wit will help us through the down times and your charm and smarts will make the best of times the best yet. What I am trying to say is chandler you are my peanut butter to my jam. Couldn’t resist a food metaphor. Chandler, I love you and can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you” she said beaming as she smiled at Chandler

It was Chandler’s turn and when he looked out into the crowd he saw his friends Joey, Ross and Mike giving him the thumbs up for support and encouragement. Sweat began to build along his back and get stared at his cards the words becoming a little blurry. Everyone’s fullest attention was on him and it was freaking him out. He remembered the advice Ross gave him and looked at Monica who as far as Chandler could remember had never seemed happier.

_Say something Chandler! His mind raced, what better way then to do some humor_

“Well its going to be hard to top that!” he said which only caused a few muffled laughs. He realized he had to be serious and really focused

“Monica you are my ray of sunshine and what get’s me out of bed every morning not bond spreads and yield curves. Your excitement, passion and good attitude help balance out my wit and humor. Sometimes opposites do attract, and I think we are the textbook definition of it. Monica I am going to keep this short since I am running out of words but in summary I want you to be the person I spend the rest of my life with” he said his hands shaking and sweat drenching down his back.  He breathed a small sigh of relief when it was over

The next thing he knew Monica was repeating the pastor’s words

“I Monica Geller take thee Chandler Bing to be my lawful husband until death do us apart” she said

Man, it had only felt like 30 seconds and now everyone’s attention was back on him again. He struggled to listen and then silence for a second. He realized it was his turn to talk

“I Chandler Bing take thee Monica…. Monica Geller to be my lawful wife until death do us apart” he said sputtering and stumbling to the finish line.

“You may now kiss the bride!” the pastor exclaimed. This was the moment Chandler had been waiting for as he leaned in. They embraced and kissed that was the most passionate he had ever felt. Just like Ross said his tension melted away and he enjoyed every second of it. It was sort of a blur and the next thing he knew he and Monica were in a cab being whisked away to the reception.

They had the park all booked out with caterers from different cuisines represented but mostly American, Italian and Greek foods was on display as lots of alcohol. As the dinner was wrapping up time was allocated for speeches.

Ross got up and taped his glass to do his speech first “Chandler we are best friends and first off my sister could have not met a better person to spend the rest of her life with. Chandler is a great friend that will always stick up for us and do the right thing brining full transparency to everything he does. He is trustworthy, kind, smart, empathetic and I guess the only negative thing is that he is a Jets fan. GIANTS RULE!” he yelled into the microphone as Joey nodded in disagreement.

Ross continued anyway “An example of this is when me and Chandler back in college both had a crush on my wife Rachel. We were dancing the night away rocking out to some of our songs that our band played that we snuck to the DJ and paid him 10 bucks. Anyway, Chandler knew I liked Rachel, so he let me have her for the night and I got my first kiss. I lost my lipginity that night to her my Rachel.”

Rachel interjected “Ross I never kissed you that night. I left with my friend Mindy and Monica stayed over” she said

Ross froze in his tracks like a deer caught in the headlights “WAIT! THAT MEANS I KISSED…. MY SISTER?! MONICA! I KISSED MONICA!” he screeched as he started pacing. Rachel grabbed the microphone and gave it to the next speaker as she took Ross away to calm down.

Nora Bing could be heard “This is better then any romance book that I have written, A brother losing his lipginity to sister! I could not make that up in fiction exotic romance if I tried!” she laughed as Chandler glared at her

“Not now mom!” he said grabbing the microphone a little annoyed but not surprised

“Sorry Chandler always can use some free publicity, congratulations on the marriage by the way. To be honest I would have never thought you would get married but here we are!” she said pinching his cheeks

“Well I’ll take that as a compliment” he said hugging her and thanking her for the well wishes. Even if it was in her own unique way “Thanks for coming”

As the rest of the speeches were given tears were shed and memories were rehashed. Things overall went smoothly after the Ross incident. Considering the friend group Chandler thought that more gaffes were going to happen. 1/6 caused a scene and rightfully so, poor guy kissed his sister. Chandler chuckled at the thought as he was in a slow dance with Monica

“What’s so funny Bing?” she teased trying to get into his mindset

“Just thinking about how smoothly this wedding has gone, thought there would be more gaffes that happened. Poor Ross, I promise I’ll try not to tease him” He said honestly feeling bad that a horrible secret like that was now public. Heck he was terrified and sweating doing his vows telling his feelings about Monica in public. He could really emphasize with Ross right now.

“Well Ross was right about one thing, you are one honest guy. I admire that about you. I never told Ross about it because I thought it would traumatize him and it has” she said kissing him on the cheek while laughing about her brother. He was adorable sometimes, but this would be ribbing material for years now that it had become public

A voice could be heard from a few miles away. “Ross ow! Ross your stepping on my foot. Hey Mike, can I get some help?” Rachel could be heard saying close by on the dance floor. Mike ran over as Rachel was trying to keep Ross up.

“A little drunk I see, probably because of the embarrassment of the secret and the dating gods were probably extracting revenge for Ross’s dating selfishness 11 years ago.” Phoebe remarked giving a chilling laugh that startled Rachel. Phoebe said “I never told you because I didn’t want to embarrass Ross. Also, the dating god’s bible says that you have to laugh after misfortune or misfortune happens to you!” she said. Realizing that it was not the appropriate time for her wacky humor she bowed out to get some food.

Mike took Ross back to his room and stayed with him to make sure that he was okay after almost passing out drunk.  

“I am so sorry Mon, I’ll talk later just going to get some water and go for a walk so people stop staring at me.  Ross was a little embarrassed about the revelation so he you know, drank. He’ll be fine but hungover in the morning” Rachel said nervously. It was funny she was always popular but never liked excess attention, so she left after giving a hug to Monica and a handshake to Chandler

“Well Monica what a lovely wedding, plus the itinerary is amazing for this week! I have to say sweetheart I have never seen you happier then you are with Chandler and I am happy for you. Besides this wedding is better then your brothers but don’t tell him I said that” Jack Geller said swinging by with Judy in his arms

“I agree on all fronts Monica, darling you found yourself a jackpot and you’re the lucky winner. Now be responsible and things will work out is my advice. Also, you look stunning and this wedding is better then Ross’s. But you can tell him I said that. Enjoy the night lovebirds” Judy Geller said before being swept through the crowd by Jack

As the dancing stopped and everyone started to head out for the night Charles Geller was standing alone. Monica urged Chandler for her and Chandler to go talk to him.

“Hey Dad, I really appreciate you coming to the wedding. I was worried you weren’t going to show but it means the world to me that you’re here” he said while hugging his dad.

“No problem son, it’s the least I can do for you. I would not miss it for the world to see my son mature and all grown up moving off into the world starting the next chapter of his life. Cherish the small things is my advice and treat everyday as unique.” Charles said hugging Chandler and Monica

“Monica darling your dress is amazing, I’ll leave you two snuggle buns alone, but you do have to tell me where you got your dress from. I am always looking for new dresses”

“Will do” Monica said happy that Chandler was making amends for the past and was making an effort to connect with both of his parents more.

As the reception wore down Monica and Chandler realized that in all the whirlwind they had not eaten but decided to take a stroll down the beach and get room service after. As they got near the pier they were surprised to see Joey, Rachel, Mike and Phoebe. There was a table set up with plates and wine glass with a wine in the middle

“What’s this about?!” Monica said looking back and forth at Chandler and her friends

“Well we realized that you forgot to eat, and I ate most of the spaghetti, so I contributed to the food shortage.” Joey admitted. “We decided to throw you a wedding night dinner with fresh fish caught from the sea potentially illegally, but no one needs to know” Joey laughed playing it off as a joke

“We present you fish and chips with Greek salad and red wine with wedding cake for desert” Mike said as Rachel and Phoebe brought down the food and left some carts with the desert and spare food on it.

“So, this is where we leave?” Joey asked “Man it’s hard to resist all that good-looking food but Chandler is my best friend, so I am going to go and respect his space. Have a good one guys!” Joey concluded thinking out loud

The night was a beautiful warm evening as the waves crashed along the shore and the ambiance was relaxing Chandler and Monica enjoyed their food and had great conversation about their future together.

“To our future together, may it bring prosperity, happiness and maybe a kid or two not to pressure you” Monica teased raising her wine glass

“To our future together may it bring prosperity, happiness, some kids but not soon and a jets super bowl championship” Chandler raised his wine glass as they clinked together being the ultimate metaphor

**_ They were now the Bings and their life was linked together now _ **

**__ **

**Authors Note: Sorry for the late update, life’s been busy lately. Let me know what you think of this latest chapter and feel free to tell me your thoughts good or bad in the reviews. I probably will not be updating for a while due to school and stuff. Thanks for your support and a very belated happy new year!**


	10. TOW The Reunion

**June 2000**

As Rachel was finishing up her day at the fashion design office putting the finishing touches on the dress skirt sketch that she was drawing. The company was growing quickly and there were plenty of new faces in the office. Her new manager Brett walked by and looked over her shoulder

“Rachel that is amazing, that is really going to hit our target demographic of teenage girls. It is classy and sophisticated while also having some flash to it. Keep up the great work and have a good weekend!” he said while walking away.

“Brett thanks for the encouragement! Have a good weekend” she said back waving as he left the office. She packed up her things and put her drawing in her folder and into the desk.

She was happy to have this assignment that allowed her to pretend she was younger again. It got her thinking about her high school reunion that was going to be happening that weekend at her and Ross’s high school in Massapequa.  She was looking forward to seeing all her friends again.

The subway commute was better then usual probably because it was a Friday in the summer as people had escaped away to their vacation homes for the weekend along the coast. It put her in a better mood and she picked up some ice cream at the grocery store to surprise everyone.

As she entered her apartment she was ambushed by her kids running up to her showering her with hugs and kisses as she bent down to embrace them

“Hi mommy! How’s was your day?” Patricia asked her smiling innocently

“Mom you should see what dad made for dinner. Also, I got a new hot wheel’s car that dad bought me on our way home” Paul chimed but was more memorized by his new car taking his attention

“My day was good Patricia and wow that’s a cool car Paul did you make sure to thank daddy for buying it for you?” she said as she lugged the groceries in and put them away. She was greeted by the smell of spices. She looked over to see Ross cooking up a storm in the kitchen.

“Hey Rachel, how’s it going? I went to cooking class today and we made some steak dinners and mashed potato’s, with asparagus lightly salted. It was so good that I had to make it tonight to have one good dinner this weekend before we leave tomorrow morning.” He said proud of his creation

“It certainly smells delicious Ross and my mouth is watering, although that is probably because I skipped breakfast since I slept in. Anyway, thanks for making dinner. I really appreciated it.” She said getting the dishes out. As she went back into the kitchen she pecked Ross’s on the cheek as a show of thanks.

As they sat down and started eating they engaged in their nightly conversation.

“Well Ross’s your cooking class has certainly paid off. I haven’t had steak this good in the longest time.  So, kids are you ready to go visit Aunt Phoebe and Uncle Mike this weekend?” she said between bites

“Yeah mommy, I got all my barbie dolls that we can play with at Katie’s dollhouse. Also, I have my teddy bear Teddy.” Patricia said looking forward to her visit. Uncle Mike and Aunt Phoebe always spoiled them when they visited

“I have all my hot wheels and also my dinosaur books. Also have my mini sticks so that I can play some ball hockey with Uncle Mike.” Paul said moving his hands in a scoring motion

“Don’t worry Rachel I have all of their things ready to go and packed up. We did it right away after I picked them up from school today. We triple checked everything to make sure that it was good to go.” Ross said reassuring Rachel that everything was good to go.

“Thanks Ross and also kids I got a surprise for everyone.” Rachel said going to the kitchen and bringing back ice cream that she had bought. The squeals of delight reverberated around the room

As the night drew to a close they finished packing up themselves as well as watching some TV with the kids while they all munched on popcorn as the night drew to a close.

As the sun rose on a Saturday morning everyone got up and headed out the door. They took the car and when they pulled up to Mike and Phoebe’ apartment. They got the kids luggage and headed up to the apartment

As the door was opened by Mike who greeted them

“Hey guys did you have a good drive over?” he asked as he got the luggage and brought it into the house and put the luggage into the bedroom.

“Yeah it was good, it’s amazing how quiet the roads can be on a Saturday morning” Ross said who was relaxed which was different compared to how he usually was when driving in NYC.

“Thanks for keeping the kids for the weekend guys it is appreciated” Rachel said as Phoebe came in from the kitchen. The kids had already had ran off to see Katie to play with their toys.

“It’s no problem Rachel. We enjoy taking care of the kids. It’s fun for us to spoil them and Katie enjoys having “siblings” for the weekend to spend time with, you can only have friends over so many times so Katie enjoys it” Phoebe said genuinely excited for the weekend ahead

“Yeah and they seem to get along together so well. Even combining hot wheels with dolls so they can all play together.” Mike said impressed about how accepting kids were these days

“Well we better get going, don’t want to be late for our reunion” Ross said

As they said their goodbyes and made their way down the stairs Rachel sniffled a little.

“Everything okay Rachel?” Ross asked

“Yeah everything’s okay just going to miss the kids” she said.

“Me too but it’s only one night and we’ll see them tomorrow night” he said trying to cheer her up by putting things into perspective.

As they drove down the expressway the sun started to shine, and they were getting excited to see everyone again. It had been 10 years since they had graduated so it would be interesting to see all the changes that had happened to everyone.

As they pulled into the Geller’s driveway Judy and Jack were there to greet them on the porch waving. As they got out and said hi and got set up their bedroom before meeting Jack and Judy in the kitchen.

“Here is some lemonade and I made your favourite peanut butter cookies Ross.” Judy said while putting the tray on the table

“So, what’s new with you kids?” Jack asked grabbing a cookie

“Well dad we’re not kids anymore but things have been good. I am done for the semester but thinking about picking up some summer courses as a lecturer. The kids are doing well, Paul’s enjoying hot wheels and I have been getting him into dinosaurs. Patricia is getting into barbie dolls and such. How have things been going with you and mom?” Ross said

“Well things are good Ross, we are going on vacation next week on a cruise through the Mediterranean. Every since Monica and Chandler’s wedding we have been itching to get back to the region Plus we got a really good deal, I think around 25% off because of our connection with our travel agent” Judy said

“Speaking about your kids it brings back some memories. How times have changed but things also seem to stay the same. When you and Monica were kids you were into comic books and Star Wars while Monica loved her easy bake oven.” Jack said reminiscing as the doorbell rang

“That’s probably my Harmonica and her husband the financial wizard” he continued getting up and opening the door to revealing Monica and Chandler.

“Hey everyone, we had the most wonderful ride, we only had to stop at 2 farmers markets!” Chandler said sarcastically

“Well the farmers markets are not too common in the city and we don’t make our way up here to the island too often, so we took advantage of it. It’s amazing all the fresh vegetables and clean fruits. We are going to make some good dinner tonight” Monica said rebuking Chandler and justifying the reasoning and winking at Judy

“Well I agree Monica we are the team when it comes to food, but I think that dress does not suit you, hope your not wearing that out” Judy said in a forced happy tone. Monica smiled back telling herself that it was only one night that she had to put up with her mom

“Well Monica I think you look great, don’t listen to her” Chandler whispered in her ear which caused her to smile. It was nice to have Chandler to help her get through these visits. She loved her mom, but she was always critical about something and always said something about it.

As they sat down for dinner they continued their conversation

“Well Rachel how are things going at the coffee shop Central Perk?” Jack asked trying to kick start the conversation again as everyone was chowing down on their food.

“Mr. Geller” Rachel began “Call me Jack” he interjected. “Sorry Jack I actually don’t work at central perk anymore. I work at a up and coming fashion design job.” She said a little embarrassed as she hated correcting Jack who was so sweet and meant well.

“Dad that was like 5 years ago that she left that job” Ross corrected him which earned him a glare from Rachel who wanted the conversation to move onto something else

“Sorry I forgot, well I am glad you have found your calling. It always makes a job more enjoyable when you are passionate about what your doing. Good for you Rachel” Jack said trying to bridge the divide. 

“Are you all excited for the reunion tonight?” Judy asked trying to change the subject, she did not like silence.

“Yeah it should be interesting to see how everyone is doing, especially the people that I have sort of lost touch with. It is a nice feeling to see how far we have come since high school.” Chandler said putting his arm around Monica who reacted warmly to it and put her arm around him in return.

As they finished dinner and cleaned up the dishes and got changed into their dresses and tuxedos for the evening they were just about to head out the door when Judy stopped them.

“We have a surprise for you” she said leading them out to the garage. As the door opened Jack was standing there with keys to Ross’s 84 Mustang.

“WOW! Dad I am speechless thanks so much!” Ross said running up to his dad and taking the keys.

Jack’s face lit up and he smiled “Well we were feeling nostalgic and decided to restore your high school car that had been sitting in the shed, so you could take it to the reunion. Don’t worry no matter what your mom says this is not your birthday gift” he joked

As they got in the car and said goodbye to Jack and Judy for the night and pulled to Massapequa High School. The scene was rocking as the parking lot was packed with cars everywhere. It was the class of 1990 reunion 10-year reunion. As they got out of the car they decided to get some punch and took note of the scene.

As they were drinking some punch they started seeing some other friends, Chandler was the first one to see his old high school friends Bobby and Terry.

“Hey Chan Man! Wow things sure have changed with you. You look so sophisticated and manly. What’s happened the last time I talked to you it was when you were at your data job and single” Terry said slapping Chandler on the shoulder

“Chan Man do you want to sneak to the back? I brought some flasks and whisky” Bobby said quickly revealing his coat to show the items.

“Well to start off, no thanks I have to be the designated driver tonight” he said thinking of an excuse which brought some playful boos among his old friends

He laughed it off and continued and answered Terry’s question “Things have been going good. First, I left the data job and now works as a bond analyst at Lehman Brothers. Secondly I actually got married I am not longer single” he said proudly

“Good for you man congratulations! You’re the first one out of us to get married. Who was the lucky lady?” Terry asked

“Monica Geller actually, remember Monica?” Chandler said smiling thinking about how beautiful his wife was

“The land cows, the queen of the easy bake?!” Bobby said bewildered and exasperated. “Man, you have low expectations!”

“Hey that’s my wife your talking about and she has changed a lot! I’ll have you know that she is beautiful, and the women of my dreams” Chandler shot back wagging his finger in Bobby’s face.

“Okay man whatever you say I doubt that she has changed, this is the queen the QUEEN of easy bake! You sure have become a buzzkill must have been the corporate world that has done it to you. I am out of here” Bobby said as he walked about drinking his flask as he walked out the back.

“Well some people haven’t changed since high school” Chandler sighed. He decided to ignore and push it out of his memory. Turning back to Terry he said, “sorry about that how have things been going with you?”

“No worries Chandler, I play poker with Bobby once a week in a group and he still acts like a sore loser. Hasn’t grown up one bit. Anyway, things have been going good with me I am trying to get back into the dating scene. I am actually looking at opening up my own mechanic garage. Been saving up some money for some time, tired of working for my boss who is micromanaging.  It would be nice to see Monica again” Terry said trying to be supportive of Chandler who was a good friend

“Sounds good, you remember Ross Geller? We have become good friends since college, let’s see if we can find them in this crowd” Chandler said as he relaxed after the confrontation with Bobby. It was nice to see at least one friend had matured in Terry and they went out looking for the rest of the group.

Ross was the next one to see some of his old friends Tony, Will Colbert and Brett who were happy to see him.

“Hey it’s the Ross-a-tron aka Dinoman! Long time no see” Tony said doing their secret handshake from the chemistry days in Mr. Baker’s science class.

“Things sure have changed over the past ten years! Not only in our lives but throughout comics and movies. So happy they are making Star Wars movies again. Jar Jar Binks was so funny, and I can’t wait for attack of the clones.” Brett said

“Yeah George Lucas has been doing a great job and looking forward to seeing what happens to the Skywalker clan and Anakin’s rise Anyway how are things going with you Ross?” Will said excited

 “Things are going well, sorry I haven’t been keeping in touch lately as much. Been busy with lecturing classes at NYU in the paleontology department as well as raising a family with Rachel Green. We should go to Star Wars celebration this year though if you want to. I could get some time off” he said happy to bond with his old buddies

“Wait…. Wait you mean Rachel Green? Thee Rachel Green from the “I hate Rachel Club” with both gendered reproductive parts? How could you fall for her? She was evil” Will said in shock his eyes almost bulging out of his head. 

“Will she has changed a lot since high school and to clarify she does **not** have both gendered reproductive parts. She is hard working, funny charismatic, empathetic and loving. To be honest she is my second wife as I have divorced once with a women named Susan who was lesbian and somehow got full custody of mine and Carol’s son Ben. They moved to London” He said defending his wife but keeping his voice cordial

“That’s good to hear Ross, I am happy for you and sorry for being rude. I was just a little shocked especially since how cliquey she was back then. I guess the club is disbanded and put into the dust bin of history.” Will said looking down at the floor feeling bad about his earlier words.

“That’s okay Will, I understand your perspective and am happy to see that you understand. So, what has changed for you guys?” Ross said moving on from the tension   

“Well Ross first I want to say congratulations on the career advancement. You sure have risen the ranks and pursued your passion. I got mad respect for you for that. My personally I am still single but own a comic book store which is exciting. Looking at franchising or trying to get a partnership with blockbuster to get small scale comic book kiosks in the Best Buy stores.” Tony said pulling out a photo of his stand-alone independent comic store.

 “How small the world is eh Ross? Rachel actually works for me at the fashion design office for the up and coming company. I have to admit that she had great creativity and penmanship her drawings are amazing. Things are going good for me other then still being single but looking for a partner. I definitely agree that George Lucas is making wonders for the Star Wars universe we should get together to watch Episode 2 when it comes out in theaters. Brett said pulling out his Blackberry to set a reminder to get in touch with everyone about the new movie.

All the guys nodded in agreement and exchanged numbers adding each other to their own contact lists. Being geeky they all had Blackberry’s that were all the rage

“You guys remember Chandler? We actually started a band in college. Let’s go see if we can meet up with him and connect about the old times” Ross said moving through the crowd looking for his best friend

Will pulled Ross aside as Tony and Brett went ahead. “Ross just to let you know Brett is… is into men if you get what I mean. He has been keeping it sort of under the radar but if he tells you act surprised and be supportive. The guys been through a lot and is not on speaking terms with his family. He needs all the friends he can get now.” Will said quietly as Ross nodded in agreement making sure to show that he understood the importance of what Will was saying.

Monica and Rachel decided to pair up as they moved through the crowd and spotted some high school friends Mindy, Taylor and Lizzy.

“Hey, it’s Rachel Green and her new friend. Rachel darling what’s gone on with you? The last time I saw you was when you were waiting tables at the diner. Sorry about your father though just in case I forgot to apologize.” Lizzy said superficially sipping her punch while putting in some alcohol not so secretly.

“It’s been going good and thanks for your condolences and this is actually Monica Geller my best friend” clenching her teeth and blushing not trying to yell even though it was 8 years since her fathers passing and they were rude to Monica and they knew it was Monica. “I actually am at a fashion design office now and have a family with the love of my life Ross Geller and two wonderful kids” she said smiling pridefully at how far she had come since high school with an amazing family they had together and cooling down a little.

“Your married to Dino-Man? Lame your life must be so boring darling. Your missing out on the yachts, skiing, shopping and gossip Rach. That’s is not Monica Geller the queen of the easy bake! Nice try Green!” Taylor cackled and spilt her drink over Monica. Taylor and Lizzy laughed and walked away as Mindy apologized profusely and grabbing napkins to help Monica.

“Sorry Monica you can see that they still live off their parent’s money and are still the cliquey gossip obsessed teenagers who have not grown up. Anyway, you look amazing and I am proud of both of you how far you both have come. Tell me what ‘s new with you Monica?” Mindy said sincerely as she passed more napkins to Monica.

“Thanks Mindy I appreciate it. I understand that some people don’t grow up and I have respect for you for being the mature one. Things are going well with me I own my own restaurant with Italian focus in the city. I am married to Chandler Bing who is a hunk and have never been happier. Fat camp sure did pay off” Monica said moving her hands across her waist showing that she was proud of her changes. While Rachel and Mindy embraced each other in a group hug.

“I think I actually see Chandler and Terry and look over there’s Ross with his geek group. Sorry Rach not any other way to describe it.” Mindy blushed realizing that she was still a little cliquey on the inside.

As they were walking over Mindy updated them on what was happening with her life “I have married an orthodontist named Barry and we honeymooned in Aruba. Life is going well but we don’t see each other too often with him busy with work and I go shopping and jet setting around the world.” She admitted

As all the three friend groups met up they all started mixing and mingling together as the night was drawing to a close.  The DJ started playing some songs and the dance floor was flooded with dancers. As Pat Benatar’s “Love is a battlefield” played in the background the couples were dancing

“Mon what happened you smell a little bit of a strong smell of wine” Chandler said concerned as Monica was not usually a drinker.

“Oh, it’s okay Chandler, thanks for your concern but it was not a big deal. The cliquey girls spilt some wine on me as a bullying tactic, but I am used to it. But I don’t care because they are still living off of their parents or sugar daddy’s and have not grown up. I remembered I have you and what we have is special. This song was my favourite back in high school. Sorry if this is sort of out of the blue but it got me thinking of our future. Do you want to start a family Chandler?” Monica said as Chandler and her were swept in their slow dance as the song played.

Usually thinking about the future and commitment would freak Chandler out but hearing Monica be strong brushing off the bullying and seeing how happy she was but things into perspective. “I do” he said as he beamed a smile to Monica and stopped dancing and leaned in and kissed her as they embraced.

As the song ended the night was pretty much over Ross and Rachel finished their dance and went to get a drink of water as they were sweating from the heat as it was 95 Fahrenheit outsides. Brett walked over

“Hey Ross and Rachel. Great dance that was but the school still has not invested in Air Conditioning man it’ warm in here. I am just going to get going but just wanted to say bye and have a good weekend. See you on Monday Rachel and I’ll keep in touch through BBM Ross.” He said as he walked away as Ross and Rachel both said goodbye and waved their friend goodbye.

As Brett tried to get through the door he got pushed out of the way by Chip and his buddies. As they ran through the gymnasium yelling “Bush, Cheney! Vote Bush!” and handing out pamphlets with campaign literature.

As Chip ran up to Rachel and Ross. “Hey Rachel, remember me it’s Chip. I took you to prom. Anyway, hope things are well, Vote for Bush in November to keep taxes low and economy moving.” He said as he ran away giving the thumbs up.

“Well Chip hasn’t changed not surprising though considering he was president of the Massapequa High school GOP club of 1989 and 1990. Interesting to think that Bush Senior was president in 1990 and now his son is running. Don’t tell Chip but I am voting for Gore. Let’s get out of here Rach” Ross laughed putting his pamphlet into the garbage.     

“Yeah sounds good, I am exhausted its been a long day. Not into politics though so don’t really care but if you disagree with Chip then I agree with you” she admitted as they got into the car and drove back to the Geller’s house as Chandler and Monica joined them a few minutes later as they peeled out of the lot for old times sake.

As they pulled into the driveway in the 84 Mustang engine roaring as Ross revved up the engine as everyone laughed in the back seat. As they got into the house Judy and Jack asked how the night went as Monica told them about the wine incident Jack look horrified

“No one hurts my harmonica! I am going to go slap some sense into those so called “women” he said in air quotes in anger.

“It’s okay dad some great news came out of the night. Me and Chandler have decided to start a family!” she said excited forgetting about the incident earlier on.

Jack’s expression changed 180 as a smile broke out and Judy ran over and hugged Monica as everyone in unison said “congratulations!” as Judy was holding back tears of joy and Ross grabbed some Champaign to celebrate.

“Enjoy the alcohol now Monica because if you start a family it’s the last time you can enjoy it for 10 months” she teased as they were playing cards.

**_ Everything was how it should be  _ **

**Authors Note: Hope you liked the chapter and thanks for reading. Hoping to get the next chapter out next week sometime but busy with school. Trying to do about a year per chapter if that makes sense. Appreciate all the reviews and feedback and have a good week!**


	11. Chapter 11

**September 11 th, 2001 **

**6 am**

It was a beautiful sunny day as Chandler got up and walked over to Monica who was in the kitchen as he set down a coffee while reading a newspaper.

“Good morning Mon, these eggs are delicious as usual. What are you doing today?” he asked as he continued to sip his coffee trying to wake up. He had an important meeting that day at the world trade center. 

“Thanks Chandler glad you like them. Well the restaurant is actually having an event today. We are hosting some executives from AOL who are opening up an office close to the restaurant. We are hoping that they have a good time and enjoy the food. In turn they will tell their workers and friends which will give us a good reputation and reviews. What are you up to today Chandler? You mentioned something about a meeting?” she asked as she set down her plate 

“I have an analyst meeting today with some banking executives that we have contracts with. Talking about investing in some loans in the mortgage market as well as the decline of the tech stocks. Sorry to bore you Mon just a stressful day.” He said before getting more serious and wanting something to look forward to he decided to push the question that was on the back of his mind for a while lately. He relaxed a little and cleared his throat

“Monica there is something else on my mind lately. Remember last summer when we went to your high school reunion?” he said causing Monica’s face to become confused as she tried to remember what the conversation was about

“Sorry Chandler I don’t remember” she said puzzled. She didn’t like to disappoint Chandler especially when he was so serious

 Chandler put down the paper to give his full undivided attention to Monica “Well remember when we said we wanted to start a family? Well we ended up chasing our careers and time Is only going to keep moving on. Look at our friends Ross and Rachel plus Mike and Phoebe are happy with kids. What I am trying to say is that we are not getting any younger and I think it’s time we seriously start to think about making a family” he said in a serious tone gazing into Monica’s eyes to show that he was not joking.

Monica’s face lit up and a big smile formed on her face as she got giddy with glee “Chandler I swear we are on some telepathic wave length” she teased. Ruffling Chandler’s hair but moved back to a serious tone not to scare Chandler “I was thinking the same thing and totally agree. When should we start” she said getting excited pulling out her binder  

“Monica I would love to talk about this rather then bond yields but I really have to get going to make sure I have enough time to put in my flash drive and presentation slides” he said grabbing his coat and briefcase as he shut the door he waved goodbye “Love you, looking forward  to tonight” he said

“Love you too Chandler” she said as he closed the door as they both blew kisses to each other.

**Ross and Rachel’s apartment**

As the kids were getting out of bed as Ross and Rachel divided themselves among the kids to get them up in time for school. As Rachel poured the cereal while Ross got the bowls out in order to keep everything moving smoothly.

“Hey Rachel, I have a presentation today at the World Trade Center for the university for endowment fund strategy. Would you be able to drop the kids off at school? You can take the car and I’ll take the subway” he asked getting his papers organized

“Yeah I can drop them off at school. I don’t have to be at the office until 9:30 today so it’s no problem and I have my driver licence now too!” she said excited. Over the past year Rachel had finally decided to get her licence which had made her proud.   

“Okay Rach, thanks so much for taking care of things. Sorry I can’t help more but I really need to get going now. I’ll make it up tonight for sure maybe make some dinner and have it on the balcony. It sure is a nice day outside. Perfect BBQ weather.” He said as he kissed Rachel and hugged the kids before he headed out for the day.

“Mommy can I have my sandwich crusts cut off” Patricia said as Paul had his mind occupied with his hot wheels.

“One step ahead of you sweetie, already got your crusts cut and also have your apple slices for you.” She said as her daughter laughed giving her a hug

“Thanks mommy, you’re are the best mom ever!” she said

Rachel smiled back ruffling her hair “You know what mommy would like Patricia?”

“What?” she said

“If you go get ready for school and brush your teeth I will let you pick the music to listen to on the way to school”

As Patricia ran off wanting to appease her mother and also get to choose her music. Rachel was still elated that her daughter had called her the best mom ever, the joys of being a mother.

“Paul can you please get ready for school and pack your bag?” she said while finishing up making their lunches and getting her schedule for the day as well as her pager set up.

“Mommy my show is almost done, the sports highlights are about to finish a road! Also, Derek Jeter is going to be on the sports highlights. If you take me to the Mets game tonight, then I will” he whined not wanting to move. To be fair he was

Not feeling like starting an argument she decided to let him have his way and she packed his bag for him. He was going to have to listen to Britany Spears and the Spice Girls curtsey of Patricia in the car anyway, so it was better he was in a good mood. Rachel was more of a Billy Joel, Springsteen and Dylan fan but bribery was the best way to get them out the door. Plus, they were at the age where the small bribes worked such as picking the music.

As she pulled out of the school and waved Patricia and Paul goodbye the lyrics of _Never Give Up On The Good Times_ stuck in her head she pulled out her pager to see that she had 20 unread messages. She really needed to upgrade to a blackberry she thought. The rest of her commute was a battle as she was stuck in gridlock. As she pulled into her office parking garage she noticed her knuckles were white from the stress of driving. To be honest with herself she was not fully confident with driving yet and in NYC it was even more gruelling. At least the weather was nice she thought as she got to her morning meeting.

**8:40am**

As Chandler was finishing another successful presentation talking about the decreasing bond yields and the decline of the tech sector was going to lead to a slowdown and other investing ideas. The executives were impressed, and he got Lehman a couple of new clients which was a success in his books he decided he needed some breakfast. He packed up his things and was looking forward to Jose Bagels which he had read was the best bagels in NYC just at street level of the world trade center. As he gathered his things and walked out he noticed none other then Ross Geller.

“Hey Ross, how’s it going man?” he said giving Ross a good slap on the shoulder as he looked tired trying to wake him up a little.

“It’s going good just finished up a presentation but forgot to have some coffee this morning sorry if I look like a didn’t get any sleep because I didn’t. Too anxious about the presentation but at least it done now.” He said yawning  

“Tell me about it the story of my life, what is sleep?” Chandler joked back trying to lighten the mood

All of the sudden there was an extremely loud bang sound followed by explosions along with shaking of the building as alarms and sirens went off all around them. Looking around terrified as dust and debris were falling around them as people were running around as chaos and panic reigned on the floor.

Terrified Ross and Chandler looked at each other

“What’s going on?” Ross said weakly as Chandler grabbed him by the arm and followed the crowd that was heading towards the stairway.

“I don’t know Ross but its serious” he said in a solemn tone this voice shaking

“We better get out of here” Ross said his voice quivering in fear as sweat began to form along his face.

As they made their way towards the stairway they saw it was blocked by debris as the heat level in the room rose they made their way to across the floor to the stairway as the lights went out. As they looked out the window they saw the South Tower as a plane flew into it bursting into flames. Utter terror struck them as they were speechless for a few seconds.

Realizing the seriousness of the situation Ross spoke up “Let’s get moving, we need to get out of here” as the sirens could be heard below the building and they were only increasing.  

As they made their way down the stairway they counted their lucky stars that they were not a few floors above, but it was dark, they were coughing on the dust and slowly making their way down the stairs as there were more explosions and debris falling everywhere.

“Ross hold my hand, we’ll be more stable this way” Chandler said in a sedated tone still not fully comprehending what was going on.

“Good idea” Ross said stunned but grabbing Chandler’s hand but he to was not fully comprehending what had just happened.

**Monica’s Restaurant**

The lunch was just finishing up and Monica was helping clean the dishes. She thought as the owner she had to play a role in all functions of the restaurant. She sorts of enjoyed cleaning the dishes as it allowed her to take her mind off of things and just relax focusing on making sure the dishes were clean. All of the sudden there was an eerie quiet that had befallen her restaurant.

Concerned Monica asked a waiter who entered the kitchen

“What’s going on? I have never heard it that quiet before” she said growing concerned and also feeling terrified of not knowing what was going on.

The waiters face was pale, and he stuttered in shock “Mon-Monica there has been some sort of attack at the World Trade Center. 2 planes have been flown into the both towers and they are on fire.” He said stabilizing himself on a cart

Monica’s mind started blurring and she started shaking like a leaf. “Cha-Chandler’s there today” she said losing feeling in her legs as her head pounded. She dropped the plate she was holding as it smashed across the floor. The waiter ran over as the sous chef got her some water.

“There’s not too many details yet” the waiter said as tears streamed down Monica’s face “It’s going to be okay” the sous chef said trying to calm her down. “Why don’t you go home, and we’ll handle things from here” she continued as Monica ran to grab her coat and began furiously typing on her pager.

“Thanks” she said softly as she hugged the sous chef and the next 30 minutes were a blur as she ran home not really remembering much but everyone’s face on the street were sunken and in shock. As she got into her apartment she turned on the news and grabbed the phone yanking up the antenna but it all she heard was static as the lines were down. She heard a knock at the door and it was Phoebe and Mike. Monica let them in and then broke down in tears as Phoebe hugged her trying to reassure her

“Monica I can’t imagine what you are going through right now, I can’t promise anything, but Chandler is probably just walking back from his office now” she said trying to stay confident and stay strong for her friend. The next to arrive was Joey as they all sat on the couch silently with their eyes glued to the TV screen as images of horror beyond their wildest imaginations played out across the screen.

** Rachel’s work office  **

 As she was finishing up transcribing the meeting that was finishing everyone was laughing and relaxing after a tense meeting that was involved their new designs for the summer season. All of the sudden there was a knock on the door the Rosemary the secretary opened the door in a reserved tone

“There has been a attack at the world trade center” she said as her voice became more muffled

Everyone ran out of the room and into the break room where the TV was on with CNN news on

“The latest report is that the attacks seem to be some sort of terror related attack but we can not 100% confirm this. For viewers just tuning in now we are live here in NYC where two planes have crashed into the World Trade Center Towers as you can see the smoke behind me here. This is a terrible day for America” he said before he was cut off and the CNN newsroom was brought back on “We have just received word that the south tower is collapsing” the newscaster said in staring blankly at the screen like she could not believe what she was saying was true

Rachel’s heart skipped a few beats as she struggled to process what was happening on the screen. Then she remembered that Ross was in one of those buildings, one of those buildings and they were falling down! She started trembling as everyone in the office had a look of concern for her.

Betty ran up to her with some tissues “Do you know someone in the buildings?” she said handing Rachel some tissues

“Yeah… my husband” she trembled as every bone in her body tensed up as the images continued to play on the screen of devastation and chaos

“Rachel you can go home, pick up your kids from school and god bless for Ross and all those people in that scene” Brett said with every ounce of concern and fear for Rachel evident in his voice he couldn’t imagine what she must have been thinking at that moment

Rachel couldn’t speak but she nodded her gratitude with Brett understanding and returning the favour with a nod of silence of his own. The next thing she remembered was that the subway was closed and that she started speed walking to her kids’ school. She needed to know that they were okay, but her mind kept flashing back to those sickening images on the TV and her terror that Ross was stuck in the middle of it all.

**10am- WTC Ground Zero**

As Chandler and Ross thanked their lucky stars as they exited the tower through an emergency door. The sight that awaited them was nothing they could have imagined. It seemed like thousands of first responders were running around everywhere and sirens were blaring mixed in with occasional screams. Chandler and Ross started moving forward as police and firemen ran around them trying to get to those in more need then them.

As they were walking a woman was crying on the sidewalk. Chandler decided to go walk up to her see if she was okay. Ross in some confusion continued to walk forward.

“M’am is everything okay? Can I help you with anything?” Chandler asked trying to console the women it was the human thing to do

“My son was in the other building and I can’t get in touch with him! Do you have a cell phone I am going to try and call” she said getting more hysterical as the fear had totally gripped her, Chandler felt terrible for her.  

“Yes, here is my cellphone” he said not knowing that all the phone lines were down across the city. He hander his cellphone to her as she walked up to Ross pacing near him.  As Chandler looked on.

The thing he remembered was Ross eye’s in shock as the women turned around and dropped his phone and screamed. Then it all faded to black

Ross grabbed the women and started running as the tower collapsed debris and dust clouding the air and crashing all around them. As they made it to safety first responders ran up to them to check if they were okay.

As Ross turned around he saw twisted metal and chucks of concrete littering the area where they were just standing. He tried to run back to Chandler, but a police officer stopped him restraining him back

“Sir please stay back it’s too dangerous” he said trying to talk some sense into Ross

“You don’t understand my friends in there, I need to go see him please!” he sobbed as tears streaked across his face.

“Sir I am sorry, we are sending in teams to search the rubble once its safe to do so. Do you have family sir?” he said staying calm just like his training told him to do in times of crisis.

“Yeah I have a wife and two kids” Ross said calming down a little but his mind still thinking about Chandler. He had most likely just lost one of his best friends in the world as his mind raced trying to think about an excuse to run back there.

“The best thing you can do sir is go see them. Imagine the worry they are going through right now. I promise sir we will do all we can to rescue as many people as possible including your friend” he said

“Thanks, do you have a family sir?” Ross said putting things into perspective realized that there was nothing he could do.  He looked for the women that he grabbed, but she was passed out on a stretcher

“Yes, I have a wife and a little one month old” the officer said as he smiled thinking about his family

The officer relaxed his restraint on Ross as tried to take Ross’s mind off of his friend “Sir you saved that women’s life. I was watching, and she dropped the phone and passed out just over that spot there” as he pointed to an area covered in concrete debris. As he coughed on the dust he continued “What’s your name sir?”

“Ross Geller”

“Nice to meet you, my name is Ben Rider. Go home and be with your family and all the best. I’ll pray for your friend tonight” he said smiling at Ross trying to bring some light into Ross’s day.  

“Thanks Ben” Ross not a man of faith decided to change for the moment “I’ll pray for you to stay safe today and you get home to your family safe” as the two men hugged as they were both shaking and holding back tears.

Ross decided to walk to the only he places he knew where… Monica’s apartment

** Monica’s Apartment  **

As they were all quietly watching the TV screen in varying states of distress they heard a knock at the door. They all started at each other as the door was knocked again. Joey decided to go answer the door as everyone was too tense to move.

As Joey opened the door Ross gave him a big hug as sobs could be heard muffled by his head being in Joey’s chest.

“Ross it’s okay your safe now.” Joey said stroking his back trying to calm him

Rachel and Monica ran up tears both streaming down their faces as they were delighted with joy about seeing the sight of their husband and brother respectively.

“Ross I am so glad your okay, I took the kids to their friends house, so they are safe” Rachel said as she kissed him on the cheek. It was a moment of elation for Rachel who just minutes ago was gripped by fear that she would never get to kiss Ross again.

It was Monica’s turn as she hugged him “I am so happy to see you Ross I can’t believe it’s actually you” she said pinching his cheek to make sure it was him and she was not imagining things. Ross smiled at her it was the first time that he had allowed himself all day too and it allowed him to relax for a moment

It was on everyone’s minds at that moment but not spoken where was **_Chandler_**?

**Ground Zero- 3pm**

As he woke up almost choking on all the dust he tried to move but was trapped. All he could see in front of him was concrete rubble and a metal beam. It was pitch dark and he was terrified but could barely think through the pain that was shooting up his right leg. It was trapped under a glass pane. As his mind came into focus the feeling of pain surged through his body causing him to scream and pass out again.

On the outside a firefighter that was running by heard a loud scream that sounded like a human voice coming from the right direction. As he ran towards the sound and called over his walkie “We have person trapped in the rubble at L35” they had named the zones of intersections they were at in order to help facilitate search and rescue.

An hour later as backup had arrived they had cleared through the rubble and extracted the person who was unconscious but showing all vital signs were in good condition and the only physical damage was a scrap on his forehead and a severely broken right leg. As the man was being carried away by paramedics he was identified as _Chandler Bing_ of New York City from his drivers licence in his wallet. He was on his way to Beth Israel hospital in Manhattan  

The firefighter was ending his shift and decided to go on the news to talk about the tragic day that had unfolded  

** Monica’s Apartment- 4pm **

As the day was nearing it’s close Monica was in the kitchen stress cooking. They could all tell as no word from Chandler or any news at all was freaking her out and she needed to get away from everyone and allow herself to cry. She stopped watching TV an hour ago, but her friends were still in the living room as she decided to make dinner.

They had all offered her words of encouragement such as “I am sure he is fine probably stuck on the subway” but all it did was make her cry more. She felt like she had no tears left to shed. It had been the worst day of her life. Little did she know it was about to get better but not before it got worse

Ross entered the kitchen

“Hi” he said barely audible to Monica as he made sure the coast was clear

“Hi” Monica said back as throat was groggy and dry from the stress

“There’s something I need to tell you, but I wanted to wait until it was more private. Chandler was with me when the towers collapsed” Ross paused as the flashbacks of the moment were seared into his memory. He continued “But he was being a good human and was helping someone as the towers fell and he was buried in dust, concrete and metal. I am so sorry Monica it should have been me” he said as tears fell. Visibly shaking Monica broke down slowly going to the floor because she felt dizzy as tears poured down her face

“It’s okay Ross, I am sure he had a quick release from that cruel tragic moment. I am going to miss him so much” she wept as Ross lifted her up hugging her.

Mike walked in to the dramatic scene and just froze and tried to leave before Ross looked over

“Hey Mike, any news?” Ross said trying to slice through the silence in the air

“Yeah was just going to let you know that they are giving some updates on recovered persons if you want to watch. But I hope everything’s okay and I am sorry that this happened it’s awful” he said in a platonic tone showing how genuine he was but also how much their friendship had grown.

The three of them made their way into the living room just as the news had switched to a firefighter named James Wender was interviewed

“Mr. Wender, we thank you for your brave service during this day and appreciate you giving us your time to provide any updates that you may have for our viewers” the newscaster said clearly reveling being in the presence of a great New Yorker

“I appreciate your kind words. It has been a long and tiring day for sure but as a proud new Yorker it has warmed by heart to see the outpouring of support that our great city has received on this dark day. Today we are all new Yorkers! We have had some amazing stories of the power of humanity of people running in to help those in need. An example of this story of hope is in one man that was rescued not an hour ago. He was buried under the rubble layers of concrete and metal. But he was alive and only by a miracle or act of god was only unconscious and a broken right leg. His name was **Chandler Bing** and he was helping someone when the towers fell. It seems like the gods of New York were looking down on him and protected him as he went to Beth Israel Medical Center. To all those watching waiting on news about loved ones don’t give up hope. Thanks for your time” as the segment ended, and the show was sent back to the newsroom

But as the TV was playing in the Geller Bing apartment the room was devoid of human interaction as all members had ran out the door and took the nearest taxi to Beth Israel medical center.

**Beth Israel Medical Center 6pm**

As they stormed through the front doors of Beth Israel medical center to the front reception desk the receptionist was caught off guard as Monica quickly began speaking in rapid fire tone of a voice.

“My name is Monica Geller and my husband Chandler Bing is here, do you know what room he is in? Is he awake? Is he okay?” she said panting trying to catch her breath at the last few words she spoke

The receptionist trying to catch everything Monica was saying began furiously typing on her computer screen bringing up all the available patient information.

In a gentle voice “Mr. Bing is awake and is in room 225” she said but before she could continue Monica cut her off

“Thanks so much” she said running down the hallway as her friends were left standing there apologizing to the nurse

“I sorry about that. It’s just that its been a long day I am sure for all of us including you. She was just so worried about her husband like I imagine a lot of people today. Thanks for your help” Rachel said hugging the receptionist

“It’s my pleasure and your friend is forgiven. It’s my job and I am proud to do it especially on a dark day like today. All the best” she said quickly calling out the next person in line as the Medical center was filling up. It had been the main intake hospital.

As the rest of the group made their way down to room 225 their heartstrings were pulled at the scene that was happening in front of them. Chandler with his right leg in a cast was passionately kissing Monica. Their embrace and body moments showed that they were madly in love and that they thought it was the first one in decades even though it had only been a day. As they unlocked from their embrace Chandler looked over and smiled and waved at Rachel, Ross, Joey, Mike and Phoebe. 

“Look the president is coming on!” Phoebe said pointing to the TV

The president began to speak

 _“Good evening._  
  
Today, our fellow citizens, our way of life, our very freedom came under attack in a series of deliberate and deadly terrorist acts. The victims were in airplanes or in their offices: secretaries, business men and women, military and federal workers, moms and dads, friends and neighbors. Thousands of lives were suddenly ended by evil, despicable acts of terror. The pictures of [airplanes flying into buildings](https://www.americanrhetoric.com/rhetoricofterrorism.htm), fires burning, huge -- huge structures collapsing have filled us with disbelief, terrible sadness, and a quiet, unyielding anger. These acts of mass murder were intended to frighten our nation into chaos and retreat. But they have failed. Our country is strong.

_A great people has been moved to defend a great nation. Terrorist attacks can shake the foundations of our biggest buildings, but they cannot touch the foundation of America. These acts shatter steel, but they cannot dent the steel of American resolve. America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And no one will keep that light from shining. Today, our nation saw evil -- the very worst of human nature -- and we responded with the best of America. With the daring of our rescue workers, with the caring for strangers and neighbors who came to give blood and help in any way they could._

_Immediately following the first attack, I implemented our government's emergency response plans. Our military is powerful, and it's prepared. Our emergency teams are working in New York City and Washington D.C. to help with local rescue efforts. Our first priority is to get help to those who have been injured, and to take every precaution to protect our citizens at home and around the world from further attacks. The functions of our government continue without interruption. Federal agencies in Washington which had to be evacuated today are reopening for essential personnel tonight and will be open for business tomorrow. Our financial institutions remain strong, and the American economy will be open for business as well._

_The search is underway for those who were behind these evil acts. I have directed the full resources of our intelligence and law enforcement communities to find those responsible and to bring them to justice. We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts and those who harbor them._

_I appreciate so very much the members of Congress who have joined me in strongly condemning these attacks. And on behalf of the American people, I thank the many world leaders who have called to offer their condolences and assistance. America and our friends and allies join with all those who want peace and security in the world, and we stand together to win the war against terrorism._

_Tonight, I ask for your prayers for all those who grieve, for the children whose worlds have been shattered, for all whose sense of safety and security has been threatened. And I pray they will be comforted by a Power greater than any of us, spoken through the ages in Psalm 23:_

_Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for you are with me._

_This is a day when all Americans from every walk of life unite in our resolve for justice and peace. America has stood down enemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forget this day, yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world._  
  
Thank you. Good night. And God bless America.” – George W Bush

As the speech ended they were all crying tears of exhaustion, sadness, happiness and above all love for their nation

“I don’t care what side politically you are on that was a great speech” Ross said

The day had brought fear into the heart of America but especially into the heart of Chandler. He vowed that he would protect Monica with everything that he had and also the nation, his nation, the United States of America. But right now, all he could think about was her, counting his stars that he was alive and the family that they were going to start taking advantage of the opportunity that he was given to spend the rest of his life with Monica.


	12. Chapter 12

**September 2008:**

After many years and promotions later, they had started a family together and it was quickly growing with 2 kids and a third on the way. Chandler was excited to go home that day to see his family and especially Monica but right now he was focused on a much larger problem. The slowdown and potential collapse of the United States mortgage market as well as his company Lehman Brothers.

“Hey Chandler, do you got the report for the CFO that we are presenting today?” Daryl the manager of mortgage credit said in a pissed off tone “It was supposed to be done today”

Chandler with beads of sweat coming down his face tried to not show it as he faced Daryl “Yeah I have it and the presentations ready to go” he said.

“Good, thanks for getting it done. Sorry being a little short tempered but a lot is riding on your presentation. Good luck in there” Daryl said patting Chandler on the back his eyes looking tired and baggy from months of anxiety trying to solve the “problem” 

“Thanks, I am going to need it” Chandler teased back knowing some humor was good to lighten the mood in the room. The two men then departed ways

Chandler was worried but not about the presentation but about what was contained in the presentation. They had no way out of this mess and he knew it. He had already been betting against the market months ago when he noticed that this was going to be a disaster and so far, it was paying off but only he knew that, he had not even told Monica.

They walked into the presentation room as the CFO of the company was staring at his cell phone not even glancing at them as the presentation began

“As you can see we have invested heavily in tranches of mortgage back securities. The market is now tanking as the economy slows and people are defaulting more and more on their mortgages” he started

The CFO of the mortgage division cut him off “Well so what? What do we need to do to fix this?” he demanded

“Well we can skip to that part, let’s just skip half the presentation” Chandler joked but it fell flat as the CFO just stared at him in silence. Sweat poured down Chandler’s back as he did not like being in these stressful situations

“Well basically we are broke and the only way to get out of it is to try and get a larger bank to buy us out or get external funding to over the debts/interest payments due. We are only going to survive until Monday at best sir” Chandler sighed wiping his forehead as the reality of the situation settled on him

“Thanks Chandler, for the presentation it is going to be all hands-on deck this weekend” the CFO said in disbelief but believing what Chandler was saying. He solemnly walked out of the room leaving just Chandler and Daryl in the room

“Well I am out of here see you tomorrow Chandler” Daryl said leaving the room.

Chandler paced around the room cleaning up and collecting the papers left on the table feeling distraught and worried about not only the frim but that he was going to miss Jack’s softball game then.

It had been a wild prior 7 years for his friends and family as he and Monica started a family, unfortunately they were infertile, so they first adopted twins Jack and Erica Bing who were growing up so fast they were already 6 which always amazed Chandler it just seemed like they had been born yesterday. He vowed that he would spend more time with them, but it had been harder with each promotion. With Monica running her restaurant it was a miracle when they were able to spend time together as a family.  He smoked some cigarettes before walking into his apartment trying to clear his mind and relax a little.

As he walked in Monica and the kids greeted him as Monica was in the kitchen making dinner with Erica helping her by passing the ingredients.

“Hi dad” Jack said while drawing at the table

“Hey Jack, what are you drawing there? It looks really good” Chandler said smiling at his son’s creation

“it’s our family at the baseball diamond and Derek Jeter is taking our picture. I can’t wait for you to see me play tomorrow” Jack said delighted. He had really gotten into baseball since starting little league and hence started watching the games on TV. He knew all the players on the Yankees much to the dismay of Uncle Joey who was a Met’s fan.  

Chandler sighed and looked his son in the eyes, he knew it was best to be honest even if it made him feel terrible letting his son down “Unfortunately not this weekend Jack, I have to go to work this weekend” he said ruffling his son’s hair hoping it would somehow lessen the blow

Jack slammed his crayons down and ran into the living room out of frustration which caused Monica and Erica to look over at them. Monica told Erica to go see if Jack was okay and motioned Chandler into the kitchen.

Her first reaction was one of annoyance “Chandler have you been smoking again? You were doing so well. You reek of it” she said sternly getting her message across as she whisked faster letting out her frustrations.

“Mon I am sorry it’s just been a stressful week at the office and I have to work again this weekend. I can’t make it to Jack’s game either we’ll have to get another family to take him since Erica has her dance lessons” he said sighing as the stress was getting the better of him

“Chandler it’s okay I understand I am here for you if you ever want to talk and let out your stresses. It’s just that the smoking bothers me and we both know it’s not healthy either” she said massaging the spices into the chicken.

“Maybe after the kids go to bed, don’t want to worry them” he said with a worried looking coming from Monica’s face. Chandler was not one to get emotional or share his feelings so whatever it was must have been troubling him immensely.

“Maybe we should go on a vacation as a family down to Disneyworld and visit Phoebe and Mike for a week or so. It would be fun, and we haven’t taken a vacation in years as a family” Monica said trying to change his mind.

  “Yeah that would be nice, just going to take the garbage out” Chandler said in a quiet voice. This concerned Monica more because Chandler was always excited to go see their friends. She was going to get to the bottom of whatever was bothering him.

** Ross and Rachel **

Ross and Rachel had an eventful past few years together and had just a year ago purchased a larger apartment at a cost of $1.2 million and taken out a mortgage to finance the purchase. Rachel had a couple of promotions at Ray Daniels and was now the head of design and purchasing. Ross had continued as a lecturer at the NYU and had become a tenured prof. They had been continuing to grow their family with an additional son named Owen who was now 5 and in kindergarten and life was going well

Ross was actually on vacation in England visiting Ben but was coming home that night, so Rachel was quickly packing up her things from her desk because she needed to pick up Paul, Patricia and Owen from school. She was the only one in the office or, so she thought. As she was putting her coat on Ray appeared

“Hey Rachel, can I speak with you in the office?” he said his face pale and voice shaky

“Yeah no problem, sorry to be annoyance but I need to pick up my kids from school, so I hope its not too long” she said with a hint of fear in her voice as she had never seen Ray so shaken

As Ray closed the door to his office he pushed a piece of paper over to Rachel in bold letters at the top read **TERMINATION NOTICE**

Rachel’s hands started shaking and she tried her best not to try as brief sobs broke out and some tears streamed down her face as Ray passed her some tissues.

Ray’s voice was dark and almost hollow like as he began “Rachel as you probably know business has been slow recently and we’ve been having trouble getting funding from the banks in order to stay operational. Unfortunately, we were not able to do so and have to declare bankruptcy. I have Lucy from HR to supervise. I also regret to inform you that since we have no funds and are bankrupt then no severance package will be paid”

“Thanks for all of the opportunities you gave me, I wish you all the best” Rachel said giving him a hug before signing the papers as she was in a state of shock she wanted to get out of there

“Thanks Rachel for all that you have done for us. Here is a reference letter and contact information for me. I wish you all the best Rachel also and I will have our security officer escort you down to your car. I’ll make sure he helps bring your stuff done also” Ray said and with nothing else left to be said they shook hands and departed in their separate directions.

Rachel felt sick and woozy as she packed her things into her car. She thanked the security officer and when she got into the car she broke down and cried for a few minutes. She then looked at the time and realized she had to pick up her kids. “Stay strong” she told herself not wanting to upset the kids.

As she pulled up into the school she waved to her kids as they got into the car they told her stories about their day at school which made Rachel happy and she had smiled for the first time that day.

Patricia with a look of concern on her face interrupted the conversation “Mom what’s the matter with your eyes? Have you been crying?” she said in a sad voice

“No, just bad allergies you know the typical fall ones” she said trying to reassure her daughter that everything was okay even as the worries were building in her head which was causing her to white knuckle the steering wheel as a stress ball of sorts.

“I hope you get better soon, maybe we can snuggle when we get home and watch some Hannah Montana together while eating ice cream” she said happiness washing over her face. It was there traditional Friday afternoon activity.

The thought of some relaxing time and also that her daughter was not as concerned brought some relief to Rachel as she relaxed her grip on the wheel. “That sounds like a great idea” she said smiling. Paul who had taken a liking to baseball and the Red-hot chilli peppers even at the age of 12 and did not really understand the lyrics just liked the rhythm asked his mom to put some on who obliged. Rachel put on _Water Under the Bridge_ as her song choice and the rest of the ride seemed like a blank blur in her mind.

When they got home, Rachel made some dinner as they laughed and talked over dinner what they wanted to go over the weekend.

As Rachel cleaned up and got her PJ” s on she met Patricia in the TV room to watch some Hannah Montana and turn her mind off while savouring the small moments with her daughter before she grew up and become boy-crazed. Paul was great at being an older brother and decided to play hot wheels with Owen and could be heard making car noises in the other room. It was a tranquil moment after a long stressful day for Rachel.

As the door to the TV room knocked Rachel paused the episode of Hannah Montana as Ross walked into the room with Patricia running up to him giving him a big hug and showering him with kisses.

“Hey Rachel, I see you two were having some quality alone time together sorry to interrupt” he said sheepishly

“No, it’s okay Ross you excused, you are coming back from a two-week trip to England is a valid reason to interrupt” she said walking over and hugging him and kissing him on the lips. She missed him and wanted to show it. It felt amazing and relieved her loneliness that had been building.  Ross blushed as Patricia could be heard in the background

“Ew!” she teased covering her eyes

“Rach, wow…. thanks”, he stuttered as he was still captured in the euphoria of the moment

“Why do people kiss?” Patricia asked out of curiosity

“Oh, to be so innocent again” Ross laughed but then quickly got serious as it was a good teaching moment “People kiss because it shows that they love each other just like mommy and daddy do but only adults do it. If you like someone at school DO NOT kiss them.” he emphasized the not part to make sure that she understood it was an adult thing. He was fiercely protective of his daughter 

As they grabbed a seat on the couch the topic turned to his vacation and the questions were fast and furious

“How was England? Did you get to meet the Queen?” Patricia asked

“England was amazing even though it did rain for about half the time and unfortunately I did not get to meet the Queen this time although maybe next time” he said with excitement as he liked to talk and encourage travel to his kids.

“How were Carol, Susan and Ben?” Rachel asked who had just came back from the kitchen with some coffee and leftover grilled cheese from dinner “For the jet lag”

“Thanks Rachel I was starved, and I will probably be jet lagged and time confused for a few days, good thing it’s Friday. Carol and Susan were good they are actually running a wedding planning business together over there.” Ross said with happiness as he had long ago accepted the fact of what had transpired between the 3 of them.

“Ben was good as well he has really taken a liking to science with I was proud of. We went to some museums of science and space over in England, we also took a train trip down to the beach for the day and spent some quality father son bonding time playing catch at the beach and eating hot dogs and ice cream. Plus, it was actually a sunny day that day which made it that much more special” He said fondly looking back at the memory and cherishing it as he didn’t get to spend lots of time with Ben anymore due to the oceans distance between the two.

“That’s good Dad I am glad you had a good time in England, maybe one day we’ll all go as a family and see cousin Ben soon” Patricia said as she wrote it down in her agenda of things to do. Which caused Ross to give Rachel a look to indicate that it was going to happen, since when Patricia put an idea down she was persistent until it happened

“Yeah that would be a great idea maybe next summer so it’s not raining as much, and school is out” Rachel said supporting it 100%.

As the night wore on and the kids went to bed Ross and Rachel were getting ready for bed. As Ross got his Star Wars PJ” s on Rachel appeared out of the washroom from brushing her teeth and went over to Ross hugging him and sobbing letting her built up emotions out from a long day.

Ross stroked her hair genteelly trying to show his support and reassure Rachel.

In a panicked voice mixed in with exhaustion he finally spoke “Rach is everything okay?” seeing her like this worried him and he wanted to help her relax

“Ross…Ross I lost my job I got laid off with no severance the company went bankrupt, how are we going to make the mortgage payment that is $8 000 when you only make $10 000 a month?” she said sobbing and her voice shaking in between every word as the pain was evident in her voice Ross decided to talk more confident to reassure her.

“It’s going to be okay Rach, you’re an amazingly talented fashion designer and I am sure you will get a job in no time. These things happen and no matter what I am here for you. As for the mortgage payment don’t worry about it now” he said as she brought her face out of his chest to face him

“Thanks Ross, sorry for being emotional it’s just been a long day but those were the words I needed to hear right now.” she said wiping away the tears from her face

“Let’s head to bed and get a goodnight sleep, we have all weekend to think things through so better to just relax now” he said hugging her again. Just before they were about to head to bed the phone rang and Ross went to pick it up.

**Monica and Chandler**

As the kids were put in bed Monica and Chandler had some alone time to talk

“Chandler, I know you don’t like talking about work, but I can tell something is really bothering you and I am here for you, so you can let me know anything.” She said smiling to let him know that she was a friendly face

Chandler sighed but ultimately knew Monica was right, so he began to get it off his chest “Monica Lehman is going bankrupt on Monday. They don’t want to admit it but I am working this weekend to try and get a deal but most likely work on the bankruptcy proceedings. I am going to get a severance, but my job is gone” he said but as he said it he felt himself relax as the stress was being released by speaking instead of bottling it up

“Chandler it’s fine we can get through this, you’re a smart intelligent man who is great with numbers. In fact, my restaurant is looking for a numbers man and you would be a great fit! If you want, I’ll even call Ross and see if there are any open positions at the university” she said determined she raced on over to the phone to call Ross despite Chandler’s protests of it being late.

As Ross picked up Monica told him the story of Chandler losing his job followed by Ross telling Monica that Rachel had lost hers.

Holding her mouth over the receiver “Chandler you’re not the only one who lost a job, Rachel lost hers as well” she said quietly which earned a solemn nod and sad expression from Chandler before continuing the conversation with Ross, as they both said goodnight Monica went over to Chandler

“Well any jobs at the university?” Chandler said knowing better to just please Monica by engaging in the conversation instead of protesting to go to bed because she was going to fix everything now it seemed.

“Well I got some good news and bad news which you would like to hear first?”

“Bad news I guess” he said quietly not looking forward to it

“Unfortunately, there are no positions at the university” she said before turning enthusiastic “But the good news is that I have two new employees. Rachel is coming on part time as a waitress and you are my new numbers man!” with glee and a twinkle in her eye smiling at Chandler

Chandler smiled back picked Monica up and carried her to the bedroom feeling good inside that he had a job and that the love of his life was the best supporter of him he could ever ask for.

 

**Authors note: Sorry for the long wait between chapters, been busy with school. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know if you are liking the story so far. Appreciate all the comments and reviews as the more feedback the better.**


	13. Chapter 13

** January 2010 **

As Rachel finished cleaning up the table and brought them into the kitchen Monica was just finishing in the kitchen.

“Thanks for grabbing those plates Rachel, could you help me wash these plates?” she said as she soaked more plates in soap and cleaned them off

“No problem Monica, it was a busy night tonight I guess it was a typical Friday night. Made $60 in tips” Rachel said cheerfully. Rachel had only meant to work for Monica as a short-term position at her restaurant, but one and a half years had flown by.

“Any plans for the weekend?” Rachel asked

“Well I am actually going to the airport with Chandler after, we are heading down to Miami for 3 days while Chandler has a business trip to meet some potential clients which means a shopping trip for me, How about you?” Monica teased but looking forward to some beaches and sunshine it had been a long winter. Before Rachel could answer Chandler walked in

Chandler entered from the accounting office into the kitchen. After being laid off from Lehman Brothers he had worked for Monica’s restaurant helping expand it to four other locations as well as starting up a small financial advisor firm.  

“Hey ladies how’s it going? Monica you almost ready to go?” he said holding up both of their suitcases that he had grabbed from storage.

“Yeah Chandler I am almost ready to go but first I have to hear what Rachel has planned for the weekend?” Monica said

“Well other then working here me and Ross are going to go to home depot and do some house shopping we are going to renovate our bathroom. I also need to talk my car into the shop.” She said looking forward to doing some house projects. Ross had been able to pick up some extra classes and she had been promoted to manager at Monica’s restaurant which helped them save some extra cash.

“Doo you guys have a babysitter because me and Ross could watch the kids if you like? Well I guess Ross will since he doesn’t teach on the weekends?” Rachel said

“Well now that you say it that would be great, and it would save us from a car drive up to the train station to our parents place. Thanks Rachel we appreciate it this trip was sort of last minute” Monica said hugging Rachel.

“Thanks Rachel we appreciate it, the kids always have fun with you guys.” Chandler said “No offense Monica but your parents are not the most exciting” he said before looking down expecting Monica to be offended.

“I agree Chandler” Monica laughed “They will have more fun with Ross maybe going to Yankees game or more exciting museum them the modern art that my mom likes to go to. The kids don’t like art as much, so it works out”

As Monica finished cleaning up the kitchen she thanked Rachel again before her and Chandler left to go get their kids from their house.

As Rachel walked into the apartment Ross was watching some TV. She put her purse down on the chair and make herself a bowl of leftover rice.

“Hi Ross, how was your Friday?” she asked while eating and drinking some water. Ross heard her turned off the TV and walked into the kitchen to join her.

“It was good Rach just finished up marking some papers, made the kids some dinner then they went to their friends house to play some shinny they should be home soon. How was yours?”

“It was good, Monica and Chandler are going on a business trip to Miami this weekend, are we still going to home depot tomorrow night after I get off work? I also said that we are going to take care of their kids while they are gone.” She said feeling bad that she did not consulting Ross before

“Yeah that will be great having the kids over, will be an excuse to go to a Yankees game. We could go to home depot with them we won’t be long just grabbing a toilet. There is something though we need to talk about and since the kids are not here it would be a good time to bring it up.” Ross said in a serious tone.

Rachel just getting over the relief of Ross not being too upset actually happy his nephews and niece were coming over get anxious whatever Ross wanted to say he sounded serious “Yeah Ross it would be a good time” she said solemnly

“You probably know that since you got laid off a few years ago that we have not been making as much money as we used to. The bills are adding up and we are barely making ends meet. We are $40 000 in credit card debt and it’s only growing with interest. Our rent just increased $500 per month to $5000. Rach either you pick up lots of overtime at Monica’s restaurant, get another job or we have to move to a cheaper place in the suburbs. Maybe sell the car” he sounded stressed finally letting it out “Collection calls started today for last months bill. I know it’s been slow at the restaurant recently”

“Ross I am trying my best the hours should pick up soon I can’t sell the car since I have to commute to the suburbs to Monica’s other restaurants to help cover shifts besides the car is 11 years old what could we possibly get for it. I have been looking for jobs and I actually have some interviews coming up for some fashion design and merchandising jobs. I find it ironic that you are lecturing what I should do but, yet you want to go to a yankees game and maybe we should not go to home depot. Maybe do not go to the game and look in the mirror” Rachel raised her voice in frustration

Ross raised his voice back “Rachel I am the breadwinner in the household and I want to enjoy some time with my kids and nephews sometimes and go to a Yankees game. What I am supposed to do whole myself in the apartment all day?! We are renovating that washroom it is embarrassing when we have guests over” He said getting more frustrated taking a swig of his beer and slamming it down

“Ross I am exhausted and don’t want to talk about this right now okay? I am going to go to bed and you can sleep on the couch” she said wiping away the tears forming as she stormed out of the kitchen aggressively putting away the plates and walking into her bedroom. She wept for a while in the bathroom. She had put in so much effort over the last few years trying to find a job but the economy was tough and it was hard to find one. She had been working at Monica’s restaurants and been a loyal employee not taking a vacation once (not like they could afford one). She calmed down and put on her PJ’s and relaxed on her bed and started reading a romance novel.

Ross knocked on the door and she motioned him in

“Rachel I am sorry for losing my temper and getting frustrated earlier it’s just the universities frozen my pay and you are working minimum wage and 2 years ago you were making $60 000. That pay cut takes a toll on a budget. I know you are trying your best and so am I. Look we are a team at the end of the day. The kids are home and I tucked them into bed. Monica and Chandler just dropped off the kids and they are all set up” He said giving Rachel a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Rachel pulled him down playfully and kissed him on the lips

“Ross your forgiven, it’s okay I was not exactly a saint out there either. Let’s call it a truce and we are even. I have the breakfast shift, so I am heading to bed” she said letting out the exhaustion, she never liked the clopen shift but she had to do what she had to do especially since she was acting manager for the day.  

The next morning, she woke up at 5am had a shower put on her uniform and drove the hour drive out to Monica’s suburban location parked the car and walked in. She helped get the tables set and kitchen ready with the other employees. The first few hours flew by as it was a typical Saturday morning with the breakfast rush just ending Miranda one of the waitresses told her that a customer wanted to speak with a manager. Rachel walked over

“Hi how can I help you today?” she said in a sweet welcoming voice plastering a small trying to stay pleasant.

“Well this food was awful and I either want a refund or it remade! I want at least one meal comped this is unacceptable” the what Rachel assumed wife as ranting at her pointing her finger in her face.

Rachel remained pleasant but assertive “I am sorry we have not met your expectations. I can gladly get the kitchen to remake your food but unfortunately I can not comp a meal.” She said still cheerfully. It was the first step since they did not want to give out free meals. Rachel had seen the financials and margins were tight like any restaurant.

“NO, YOU WILL GIVE US A F-R-E-E MEAL!” the husband yelled standing up and moved towards Rachel causing her to step back a little. This family was causing a scene with another guest looking at them, but Monica said to always put the guest first.

Miranda had gone on serving other tables, so it was just Rachel.  Feeling drained and defeated she finally said after the bombardment of profanity and threats of calling the health inspector “I will be glad to comp the meal and will get the kitchen to remake your meal, so we can meet your expectations. Sorry for the inconvenience” she said utterly defeated walking away back to the kitchen.

As she walked into the kitchen she placed the food down and spoke to tony in a friendly manner “Tony sorry to bother you but we need this egg breakfast remade, unfortunately it was cold” she said

 “Really?” Tony said arrogantly putting his things down and sped walk to the food and ate it “This isn’t cold” he said in a sarcastic tone. He then continued “Spineless Green bending over backwards kissing the customers ass again” in a loud cold voice for the whole kitchen to hear.

“Thanks Tony” Rachel said in a sad voice but switching back to waitress mode before she walked back out onto the floor. Once the food was remade and the customer was satisfied enough and left she walked to the table and noticed on the receipt that the tip amount was $0.

After a long 9-hour shift with one break and an hour lunch it was finally 5pm in what felt like a long day her total pay was $80 with $60 in pay and $20 in tips. Her legs were sore, and she was exhausted mentally. She was going to meet Ross at home depot and on her way there she blasted Bruce Springsteen, Alice in Chains and U2 through her car speakers. It was therapeutic to her after dealing with angry customers and annoying co-workers all day.

As she pulled into the home depot lot and met Ross at the toilet aisle where a friendly associate was there already helping him.

“Hey Rach, John is helping us out we narrowed it down to some toilets” Ross said enthusiastically

“I will leave you and your husband to mull things over, if you need any more assistance I will just be in the next aisle over” the associate said as he walked away

“Well I really like this toilet, it is the right size and is pretty amazing. It’s only $300” he said getting excited

“Ross, I mean it is a great toilet, but do we really have the money right now?” she said a drained but in a perky voice trying to make Ross happy. “Look at his one it is good and only $170”

“Okay sounds good we can get that one, can you go and grab some tiles in the front desk that we picked out last month and paid for and I’ll meet you at the car.” Ross asked which Rachel replied with a nod and went to the flooring department

As Rachel picked up the tiles and loaded them into her car she spotted Ross and walked up to him.

“Ross that’s not the toilet that we said we were not going to get and what is that?” she said pointing to his wallet at an orange card

“Well this toilet is $350 but it is the best toilet on the market out their john said and I applied and got accepted for the home depot credit card. We saved $25 since we got the card, so it was only $325” as the loaders loaded it into Ross’s car he turned around and tipped them $10 each even when they declined he insisted so they accepted and thanked Ross who thanked them for loading and they walked back into the store.

“Ross you realize that was not the best financial decision and we don’t have money to just be handing out tips left right and center.” She complained to him

“Rach not now okay we have to get back home before 6pm and I have to pick the kids up then take them to the game, we’re taking the subway. I will see you later tonight enjoy the peace and quiet at home” he said kissing Rachel on the cheek

“Okay Ross I’ll see you later tonight and have fun at the game” she said

As Rachel got home and saw the toilet on the ground she put the tile beside it to keep it together. The kitchen was a mess, so she cleaned it up. Sighing she wondered why Ross got to have all the fun while she did the chores. To be fair she did get to have fun, but it was less often. As she sat down to watch TV the phone rang, and she picked up

“Is this the Green household?”

“Yes, this is”

“Hi, I am with Citi bank and I am calling about an overdue amount for the past month that has not been paid on your card ending in XXXX with balance owing of $2000. The card will be deactivated now due to failure to pay after 30 days. Due to recent failure of payments before this I am calling to warn you that I will be garnishing the wages of Mr. Ross Geller starting next billing statement if the full balance owning is not paid” the other end of the line voice was terse

“Okay I am sorry it’s just been a financial rough patch recently I promise the money will be arriving soon” she said

“Thanks, have a goodnight” as the dial tone replaced the voice

Ross had just told her an amount was owing but not the full amount and she was shocked it was that much. They had enough money in their account, but it was close. She knew they would have to return the tile and toilet next time they were back at Home depot.  She cried after the long day of work and stress of the debt started washing over her. She was alone and decided to watch some realty TV to get her mind off of things. She then decided to read in her bedroom.

As Ross walked in with the kids she walked in to say hi and wish them a goodnight. As Ross walked in to the bedroom he smiled thinking about the great night he had

“That was a great game Yankees won with a walk off grand slam from Jeter it was amazing!” he said beaming with joy.

Rachel not wanting to spoil the mood and knowing that Ross knew about the deactivation probably played along “That’s great glad you had a good time” she said

“Tomorrow I’ll make some breakfast for everyone, thanks for cleaning up the kitchen” He said giving Rachel a high five

“No problem Ross anytime” she smiled through the stress that had been building. “Breakfast sounds great and I can take the kids for a walk to the community center for a swim tomorrow since I have tomorrow off” she said putting her glasses back on as Ross walked into the bedroom.

“Sounds good, I could use some time to catch up on some paper marking” he said walking out of the washroom.

The rest of the weekend went off without a hitch and before everyone knew it was Monday morning. Rachel woke up and noticed Ross had left early since it was his 7am class that day. She missed being able to make coffee and talk to him in the morning, but she got ready and headed to Monica’s downtown location after dropping the kids off at school including Monica and Chandler’s kids as they would be going back to their parents place tonight.

As she walked into the restaurant she saw Monica and Chandler setting up

“Hey Monica and Chandler, how’s was the vacation?” she said hugging both Chandler and Monica

“It was great, and the business trip went amazing got a few new clients, everything was perfect except for Monica’s hair, never seen someone but Monica have their hair react so much to humidity. It was not as bad as Bermuda though when Ross had that conference some years back” Chandler teased which earned a sarcastic smile from Monica.

“Yeah and I got a great tan at the beach and did some shopping, so I got some use out of it too. To be fair chandler my hair had a great vacation. Was totally rocking the look in some overalls. People thought we were from Arkansas it was hilarious” she said which Chandler replied “At least it wasn’t Yemen but if Janice ever asks that’s where I am. How were the kids were they on their best behaviour” he said on a more serious note

“Glad you guys had a good time sounds like a blast. Yeah, the kids were very polite and helped clean up the kitchen which was awesome. They want to the Yankees game with Ross and we went to the community center pool yesterday since it was only 40 degrees here not 80” Rachel laughed joking about the weather in New York.

As the breakfast rush started Rachel went up to a table who was finishing their meal.

“Hey there sorry to bother you ma’am but does a Chandler Bing work here and is he available to talk?” the gentleman who was dressed up rather nice in a suit, tie and shoes must be a businessman.

“Yeah not a problem I will get him for you to meet here at the table, thanks for your business and have a good day.” Rachel said picking up the plates

As she walked into the kitchen Chandler was helping with the dishes

“Hey Chandler, there is someone that wants to talk with you and unfortunately it’s not Joey, grey suit at K8 booth” she said perplexed

“Okay sounds good I’ll head out” he said surprised it was a rare occurrence people knew he worked here other then close friends. He had hoped it was Joey as they did not get to see each other as much these days due to conflicting schedules.

Rachel took over for him, she liked being in the kitchen sometimes to get some time in her head alone and away from floor

As Chandler walked in Monica hollered from her chef station “What did they want Chandler?” she asked just as confused as everyone else.

“Well his name was Alex P Keaton and he wanted me to run for Congress…” Chandler said still in shock

**Authors note: Hope you are liking the story so far, appreciate all reviews and feedback and thanks for reading! Won’t update for awhile due to exams if you are writing exams soon then good luck on all of your exams.**


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